One Hundred Starry Nights
by Mootalicious
Summary: A group of one-shots from the point of view of a young woman entangled in the world of an outlaw motorcycle club. AU. Juice/OC, maybe others.
1. Introductions

**Rating:** T - M, depending on the chapter  
**Author's Notes:** I've been in a real writer's flunk as of lately and needed something to try and pull me out of it. Since I've been obsessing over Sons of Anarchy lately, I thought trying the 100 theme challenge for it. And just to torture everyone, it's from the point of an OC (oh, you're lovin' me now). Anyways, this isn't a serious story project, just something to help get me writing again. But if you enjoy it, that's great. If not, well, I guess that's all right too. Either way, this is mostly for me. Also, this isn't really canon and each story doesn't really fit into a timeline or directly relate to each other unless they say so. One day, I'll write a proper SoA story. But this one isn't it.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own SoA (otherwise, that wouldn't have happened to Half-Sack and Johnny Lewis would have been bribed heavily). But, any characters you do not recognize, are mine. And I certainly do not own any of the songs you see in each chapter. They're by the artist listened with each of them. How much each has to do with the actual chapter is up for debate. Mostly it's just what I was listening to. In this case, Bruce Springsteen (cause everyone needs a little Springsteen in their lives).

* * *

**SONS OF ANARCHY**

**100 theme challenge**

**1. Introduction**

_Oh-oh come take my hand_  
_We're riding out tonight to case the promised land_  
_Oh-oh Thunder Road oh Thunder Road_  
_Lying out there like a killer in the sun_  
_Hey I know it's late we can make it if we run_  
_Oh Thunder Road sit tight take hold_  
_Thunder Road_

_-- "Thunder Road", Bruce Springsteen_

I pushed open the door to the clubhouse, coughing at the smell of cigarette smoke that flowed out. It was early in the morning yet the place was crowded with club members as well as their friends and a bunch of sweet butts, most of them sleeping. I rolled my eyes at the sight, though it was something that I had seen my whole life. Growing up as the daughter of the club president just made this a typical sight.

Dropping my bag next to the counter, I ducked under so I could be behind the bar. I took the nearest bottle of liquor off the shelf and settled down on the floor so I was out of sight. Silently, I popped the bottle open and began drinking. I had had a rough night, having been out partying with my best friend, Peyton. We had run into trouble in the form of a couple of douchebags who were visiting Charming during their spring break. Who visited a town like Charming for spring break anyways? Shouldn't they be at the beach?

I gulped down another mouthful and froze as I heard noises on the other side of the counter. I knew it was just people that would normally be there but I still felt paranoid now the less. Maybe the rough night was getting to me. I hadn't been forcefull man-handled like that since high school. Stupid jocks.

"Princess, are you here?" my dad's groggy voice said. I decided he must have spotted my bag sitting there where it hadn't been before. I reached my arm up and gave a wave. He gave a grunt of acknowledgment, having spotted me. I went back to drinking.

"It's a little early in the day to be drinking, isn't it?"

I flinched at the sound of Juice's voice. I looked up at him and scowled. He was leaning over the counter, looking down at me with an amused look on his face.

"I need it after the long night of hot sex I had," I retorted, taking another swing. The amusement dropped off his face.

"You're lying about that," he stated. I could see the annoyance in his eyes.

"No, I'm serious. Just call Pey and ask her." I stood up, having finished off my bottle. I felt a little woozy, mostly from standing up so quickly and not the booze. I gave him my sweetest, most contrary smile before heading out from behind the bar.

The clubhouse had been stirring since our short conversation had started and many of those not directly linked to the club had left. I quickly brushed my back-side, hoping I hadn't gotten any dirt from the floor on it, and picked my bag up, settling it on my shoulders. Juice had followed to stand next to me. He was still looking serious. I patted his cheek.

"I'll see you later," I said brightly before making a break for the door. I barely got outside before a hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. I slammed into Juice's hard body. I stared blankly at his chest for a moment before risking a peek up at him. "Yessssssssssss?"

"You're lying." It wasn't a question but rather a statement. I sighed, defeated. I knew how jealous this man could get; I wasn't going to argue with him.

"Yes, I'm lying. Peyton and I went out for a couple of drinks and dancing," I said, attempting to tug out of his hold. Reluctantly, he released me. "How about you? Had any…. 'fun' last night?" I knew the suspicion had leaked into my voice. He shook his head with a crooked grin.

"Nah. I promised remember?"

"Good boy." I smiled again, this one more relieved than annoying. "I gotta go, though, so I'll see you."

"All right." He pressed his lips gently to mine. I enjoyed the feeling for a couple of singles until we broke apart. With that, I walked back to my car though I could feel his eyes watching me as I left.

Juice was my boyfriend of a year. I remember meeting him while he was a prospect for the SAMCRO, my father's motorcycle club. I had the biggest crush on him starting when I was seventeen. After my high school graduation, I had hooked up with him and allowed him to swipe my v-card, as Peyton so lovingly put it. But I was really young – still a teen – and I didn't want to be tied down to one man, especially one who always around women who willingly threw themselves at him. I knew all about how the club members weren't exactly the most faithful lovers and were always sleeping with the sweet butts.

That had scared me away from him. Even though he insists he hadn't been with anyone else since he had slept with me, I didn't want to trust him. I started going out with random guys just to prove I was desirable. But none of those relationships lasted very long; the guys of the club always scared them away before a week was out. And I knew Juice had everything to do with it.

After a year of my silliness, much convincing from both my parents and my godfather, and listening to him repeatedly about how he hadn't been with anyone else, I finally caved. And we started dating.

I pulled my car up in front of the restaurant that I worked in. It was your average, everday restaurant a town like Charming would have. It was on the out-skirts, which got it more attention than one in the center of town would from passersby. My father wasn't exactly fond of me working here; Mom had given be the 'get a real job' lecture many times while in high school. And I had decided on this place, owned by Peyton's mother. It paid well enough for the house I lived in (bought by my parents who just wanted me out of the house but living somewhere nice). My father had said I didn't need a job anywhere but at his garage. I had considered that too. But I had taken the job hunting while I was in denial and didn't want to be working where Juice was. The restaurant was the top choice.

"Who who dragged her sorry ass into work today!"

I gave Peyton the bird. She grinned at me from where she was behind the counter. She was a pretty young blond with hair falling in waves past her shoulders. We had been the best of friends since elementary school. Throw in our friend Alice and we were a regular set of Charlie's Angels.

"You look how I feel," she commented offhandedly. I scowled at her. I knew I looked like shit after last night but how could she manage to go through it all and let still look so good? "It's magic," she said, as if reading my thoughts.

I went into the back and changed into my uniform, as well as fixing my brunette hair into a tight ponytail. It was the start of a long day.

* * *

I could see the clock hit six in the evening. I heaved a sigh of relief as I finished off wiping the table before heading into the back. Peyton was already there, changing.

"You wanna do something tonight?" she asked as she took the ponytail out of her hair.

"Sure, we can go out again, I suppose," I answered, pulling my shirt up over my head. Someone entered then.

"WHOA. Half naked ladies."

"Hi, Alice," we both said automatically. The redhead grinned, walking over to us. She didn't work here at the restaurant, but rather at the local music store. She had always been a drummer at heart; it suited her better than here. Besides, she wasn't exactly the nicest person to talk to. As Peyton's mother had said, she wasn't waitress material, unless you wanted a black eye.

"Where were you last night?" Peyton asked, suddenly sounding suspicious. "Kelly and I had to go out on our own." Alice shrugged.

"The troll was sick and Mother-dearest was busy, so guess who had the honor of nursing it," Alice responded, deadpan. I snorted. By troll, I knew she meant her younger brother. She turned her gaze to me. "Peyton texted me that you had a little rub down with a college guy."

I shot a glare at the blond, who didn't even flinch.

"He was drunk and apparently wanted a lay," I grumbled, stuffing my work shirt into my bag. I needed to bring it home for a washing. Alice gave me a huge grin.

"You do it?" she asked. I gave her an offended look but didn't answer as I left, both following.

"Oh, Alice, you know Kel's attached now." I could hear Peyton and Alice talking behind me. I sighed deeply. They often had this discussion just to bother me. I knew it mostly happened because of my denial phase. That amused them more than any other stunt I had ever pulled.

"I'll meet you two out there," I said, getting into my car. I heard them call agreed as they both got into Alice's car. My phone started ringing so I answered it. "Hello. Kelly speaking."

"_Hey, baby girl_." I smiled at my mother's voice as I started driving.

"Hey, Mom. What's up?"

"_We're having a family dinner tomorrow night. And you're going._"

"You say that like I don't have a choice."

"_That's because you don't. The club's all coming._" There was a brief pause as she did whatever task she was doing. From the sounds of it, she was in the middle of making supper for her and Dad. "_What are your plans this evening?_"

"Hangin' with Peyton and Alice."

She made a noise of acknowledgment. "_Why don't you ever hang around the clubhouse at night_?" I flinched at the question, happy that she wasn't able to physically see me. It was true; I never really hung around the clubhouse at night except when they had their parties, which Dad told me I was obligated to be at. And I was Daddy's little princess, so I couldn't argue with him at that. I couldn't come up with a real reason for why I wouldn't be there. Alice had decided I didn't like being around all the croweaters. I decided to stick with that. What they did… I really didn't like it, no matter how much the guys enjoyed it.

"_Princess?_" My mother seemed to have noticed my silence, breaking it with my dad's nickname for me. I shook my head, trying to get my thoughts straight. Zoning out wasn't exactly something I should be doing while driving.

"Nothing, Mom. I'll be there tomorrow. Gotta go." I quickly hung up, preferring to be chewed out later rather than discuss why I didn't hang out at the clubhouse more often.

I pulled up to my house and went inside. My first order of business was throwing my shirt into the laundry basket. Then, I sat myself in the kitchen to make myself a quick supper. There wasn't a whole lot in my fridge to make a good, quick supper so I settled on some frozen pasta and parked myself on the couch to watch tv as I ate it. I heard the back door open, and sat up, staring into the kitchen to see who it was.

"Hey, darlin'." I settled back down as Chibs walked in. He was my godfather, having been named so whenever I was baptized as a child. He often let himself into my house at his own need. It wasn't exactly something I cared about. "What's for supper?"  
"Frozen pasta," I replied. I set my own on the table and went to the kitchen. He was getting himself a drink as I microwaved him some. He joined me on the couch once it was finished.

I gave him a sidelong glance. He seemed to notice I was watching him, so I said, "No work tonight?"

"None. So, unless something comes up, I'm free to play with my godbaby."

"Sorry to burst your bubble but I'm going out with Peyton and Alice." He gave me the closest thing he could to a puppy-dog look but gave up once I started giggling.

"Fine. But I'm eatin' you out of house and home for abandonin' me like this." I got up and patted him on the head like he was a child.

"If you say so," I called out as I deposited the pasta tray in the garbage and ran upstairs.

In my room, I threw on a strapless dark blue dress and did my make-up quickly. I didn't really bother with my hair, just running my brush through it until it looked nice. I put on a pair of matching shoes, grabbed my purse and headed downstairs.

Alice and Peyton were already downstairs, talking with Chibs. I rolled my eyes; it almost seemed like Alice and he were flirting. Peyton merely looked amused at the whole situation. I stopped by the door, clearing my throat. All three took notice of me.

"Lookin' sexy," Peyton said, coming over to me. She was dressed in a similar fashion though she wore red and her dress had spaghetti straps. Reluctantly, Alice – dressed in her own little black dress – pulled herself away from Chibs.

"Bye, Chibs," I said, blowing him a kiss. He grinned at me and waved slightly. The three of us went outside and piled into Alice's car. I didn't know where we were going, but we were going to have some fun that night.

* * *

We had spent the better part of four hours dancing in the local club. Like any group of girls who had been friends for years, we had no problem dancing up against each other. Besides, Juice had said he preferred if I just danced with Peyton and Alice since they weren't likely to ruffie my drink and sleep with me. Though both had hinted at otherwise just to annoy me.

The song ended and the three of us made our way to the bar, tired of dancing after four hours of it. Peyton ordered us all drinks as we settled down.

"It's almost ten thirty," I commented, checking my watch.

"And you haven't been groped yet," Alice said with a grin as she took a swing of her drink. "It's a miracle."

"Says the one who hits on her friend's godfather," I retorted, giving her a look of fake disgust.

"Chibs is _hot_."

"Chibs is _old_."

"You're turning into a reverse-Cougar, Alice," Peyton said, though it was easy to hear the amusement in her voice. Alice merely grinned again.

Just then, a group of guys our age had come to the bar and sat down. I could see them eying us like we were meat, and I didn't like that. Not only did I not like that, but neither did my dad, Chibs, Juice and my older brother, Jax. All four were more than likely to take violent actions over it.

"Let's go, guys," I muttered, standing. Peyton and Alice looked up at me, confused. "I'm feeling really tired," I lied. "I didn't sleep last night." The second part was true but I wasn't really tired. I just wanted to get out; being felt up two nights in a row was not something I wanted.

"Fine, party pooper," Peyton said. They got up and we walked outside. To my surprise, Chibs and Half-Sack, the club's prospect, were sitting on their bikes in the parking lot. I rolled my eyes. I should of known my dad would have me followed into this club. It was supposedly 'shady'.

"What are you two doing here?" I snapped as we approached. Chibs merely smiled, though Half-Sack looked slightly stunned. He never knew how to react around me due to me being the president's daughter. Alice and Peyton followed me over. Peyton was merely shivering, mumbling about how cold it was outside while Alice seemed to zone out, staring at Chibs.

"Clay told us to make sure you got out okay," Half-Sack replied, glancing at Chibs. The older Son smiled crookedly.

"Well, you're outside now, hon," he said casually, putting his helmet on. "Guess we can go." He winked at Alice and Peyton before leaving on his bike. I scowled darkly after him.

"You guys are like the secret service," I muttered. Half-Sack gave me an apologetic smile.

"Kel, it's cold," Peyton suddenly snapped. I flinched. I apologized quickly and said a quick goodbye to Half-Sack before we headed to the car. To our surprise, the guys from inside were hanging around Alice's car. Peyton froze, me only a step behind. Alice bumped into both of our backs.

"What's the matter?"

She looked around us. I could hear her curse softly once she saw them. They didn't exactly look very friendly. Past experiences, such as last night, told me guys like them only wanted one thing.

"Prospect," I called, raising my voice so he could hear. He had been about to leave but my voice caused him to stop. His bike slowly rolled up next to us.

"You want them gone?" he asked. All the nervousness in his voice from earlier had disappeared. It was replaced with a more serious, deadly tone.

"Yes, please," I responded. He got off his bike and walked over to them. I didn't know what it was – I personally never found the prospect threatening but maybe that was because I hung around the club so much – but he managed to scare the group away.

"Has to be the cut," I muttered out loud, not replying to Alice and Peyton's 'huh' and 'wha?'. All the locals knew about SAMCRO. Seeing that on Half-Sack must have been what did those guys in. The prospect walked back over.

"All good," he said.

"Thanks a lot," I responded, smiling. I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Even in the night's darkness, I could see a faint blush on his cheeks. "See you."

The three of us went to the car instead of watching Half-Sack leave. We didn't trust the guys to not come back once he was gone. As we drove down the road, I poked Alice on the shoulder.

"What do you want, monkey?"

"Drop me off at the clubhouse, please."

"Allrighty, monkey."

While Peyton and Alice talked the whole ride, I remained quiet, staring out the window. Where would I be without the club? Mom and Dad wouldn't be the same people they were without it. Neither would Jax or Juice or Chibs… And I wouldn't be watched so much, which could be a good or bad thing, depending on the situation. Such as tonight. If Dad wasn't such a stickler for my safety, I wouldn't have been followed there by Chibs and Half-Sack. And then Half-Sack wouldn't have been there to deal with those guys.

I was broken out of my thoughts of SAMCRO by the car stopping. "First stop, Teller-Morrow Garage of Sexy," Alice said in her most monotone voice. I burst into laughter at that, though it wasn't exactly super funny.

"Must be the alcohol," Peyton whispered to Alice who nodded as she watched me in the rear view mirror. Once my giggles subsided, I leaned forward and placed a kiss on both my friends' cheeks before getting out of the car. I jogged to the clubhouse, not liking the cold air that hit my skin. Peyton and Alice remained there until I was at the clubhouse door. I gave them a quick wave goodbye before opening the door.

The noise hit me like a semi. I had to stand there for a while, taking in the usual scene that greeted me any evening I felt like showing up here. I stopped by my dad to say 'hi', and responded to the wolf-whistling Tig was giving me by winking at him. I left their table as my dad gave Tig his disapproval of his friend hitting on his daughter.

By this point, I was feeling the exhaustion of lack of sleep. My eyes traveled to the staircase leading up to their dorm rooms. I decided I might as well get some sleep.

"Hey, baby." I smiled as Juice's arms wrapped around me from behind. I leaned back against him, though my attempts to tilt my head up to look at his face failed.

"Hey." I turned myself around so I faced him, burying my face in his chest.

"You look tired," he commented. He started walking, causing me to walk backwards. I could tell he was leading me to the stairs. I nodded that I was as I bumped against the bottom step. Without any difficulty, he lifted me up so my feet weren't on the ground. To make his work easier, I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck as he ascended the stairs. Lucky for us both, his dorm room door was open. He walked inside and gently dropped me onto the bed.

It didn't take long for me to fall asleep after that.

**//END**


	2. A Place to Belong

**Author's Notes:** This one is half as long as the previous one. Oh well. And it can be considered boring I guess. I tried. Anyways. Oh, and it relates to the previous one. It takes place the day after.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sons of Anarchy. I only own characters you do not recognize. The song at the beginning is Gotta Be Somebody by Nickelback, like it says. It somewhat relates? I have no idea really. I just like it.

* * *

**SONS OF ANARCHY**

**100 theme challenge**

**81. A Place to Belong**

_You can't give up, looking for a diamond in the rough_  
_You never know when it shows up_  
_Make sure you're holding on_  
_'Cause it could be the one, the one you're waiting on_

_-- "Gotta Be Somebody", Nickelback_

I groaned, rolling over. Lights flooded in through the blinds of the window, inconveniently crossing over my eyes. I sat up as I attempted to get my bearings. I was in Juice's dorm room at the clubhouse, though I couldn't quite remember how I got there. As I sat up, I felt his arm drop off from where it had rested on my stomach. I stared down at the dress I was still in.

"Oh…. Yeah," I mumbled out loud, remembering the night before. Alice, Peyton and I had gone out drinking and dancing together. I hadn't had much but the alcohol must had taken its effect, as well as the fatigue of not sleeping in hours.

Trying to be as quiet as I could, I got off the bed, wincing as it squeaked. I looked over my shoulder at Juice. He merely mumbled something in his sleep and rolled over. I started searching the room for the bag of clothes that I kept here for whenever I stayed over. I forward it on the floor by the bathroom. Tugging some clothes out of it, I changed into a pair of gray track pants and a white t-shirt. It was early morning; I wasn't trying to impress anyone. I found the old sneakers I had left here as well and pulled them off before putting on a gray hoodie jacket to keep warm. My dress got folded up and tucked under my arm, as did my heels.

I was trying to make my way noiselessly to the door, when Juice's sleepy voice stopped me. "Where are you going?" I turned back to look at him. He was half sitting, watching me as he rubbed sleep from his eyes.

"Heading down to see my dad," I answered immediately. He continued to stare at me. I sighed. "And going home. I gotta get my dress and stuff home. I'll be back afterward."

"How are you getting home?" he asked at once, getting up and coming over to me. I was about to say my car when I remembered Alice and Peyton had dropped me off last night.

"Take me?" I asked as sweetly as I could as I played with the edge of his cut. A grin appeared on his face, and I knew what he was thinking. I whacked his arm. "Not like that." The grin fell. "Okay. Maybe later."

We both made our way downstairs to see practically the same scene that I had found the morning before. I rolled my eyes. It was so typical.

"Where are you two going?" my father's voice asked from a seat I didn't notice him in. I turned to look at him, Juice stopping next to me. Dad was sitting there, smoking as usual.

"Just taking her home, Clay," Juice replied. I approached my dad, stepping over a passed out sweet butt as I did so, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He returned it.

"Remember, your mom has that dinner thing tonight," he said as I walked back to Juice, who draped his arm around my shoulders.

"Yeah, yeah," I said in way of reply. I wanted to leave before the club started waking up. Sometimes, it got a little hectic in the morning.

As we stepped outside, I was glad for my sweater; it was cold and windy. Juice shivered slightly since he was only wearing a t-shirt and his cut, which wouldn't keep him warm. Instinctively, I walked closer to him, causing him to tug me as close as he could.

The streets of Charming were pretty dead that morning, so we got to my house rather quickly. I let us both in and Juice parked himself on my couch as I went to the laundry room to put the dress away. I would deal with it later. I went upstairs to put my shoes away and then stood in front of my mirror.

"I look like shit," I said out loud to myself.

"No, you don't." I jumped as Juice in came and stood next to me, gently brushing strands of hair out of my face.

"You always say that," I argued halfheartedly. Juice grinned as he pulled me against him.

"That's cause it's true," he whispered before pressing his lips down against mine. We stood like that for a while as I enjoyed how he tasted and admired what a great kisser he was. My cell phone started ringing, causing me to groan as I pulled away from him. He released me reluctantly and sat on my bed as I grabbed the cell.

"Hello," I answered, my voice sounding grumpier than I meant it.

"_Good morning to you too, sweetie_," my mother's voice said on the other end. I gulped, knowing my mother didn't like it when her girl took that tone with her, though it was perfectly all right if I did it to others.

"Sorry about that, Mom," I said as apologetically as I could. Juice started snickering, thinking I must have gotten scolded. I scowled at him.

"_Oh. I can hear him. Tell the little boy to shut up and mind his business_." I grinned and repeated my mother's words to him, causing him to go quiet. "_That's better. Anyways, I want you to come by the house early tonight, all right? I'm going to need help in the kitchen._"

"Yes, Mom," I answered, flopping back so I was laying down.

"_Good. I'll see you then. Bye hon._"

"Bye, Mom." I hung up, dropping my phone somewhere else on the bed. I groaned, staring up at the ceiling.

"What's the matter with you?" Juice asked, moving me over against him. I snuggled into his warm side.

"I hate gatherings," I grumbled. I could practically hear the raised eyebrow.

"You party with your friends a lot," he commented.

"Yeah, but those are with people I don't know around. Mom's dinners have everyone from the club and their old ladies, kids, whatever, there. All eyeballing me 'cause of who my dad is and not wanting to say anything bad around me because I'm 'sensitive'."

"Oh, I know where you can be sensitive," he replied as he rolled himself over me, pressing his lips to mine. I couldn't object to that suggestive statement. He had distracted me with what he did with his tongue.

I moaned softly as he moved his mouth away from mine, trailing kisses along my jawline to my neck. I moved my arms up, circling them around his waist and under his shirt so I could feel his cool skin against mine. I could feel his own own hands as they worked their way up my shirt.

"Hey Ke-… Whoa. Stop that."

Juice froze against me before sitting up on top, staring sheepishly at the doorway. I groaned in annoyance. I knew that voice. That was my older brother Jax. He stood in my doorway, leaning against the frame with a mixture of amusement and surprise on his face.

"Juice, that's my baby sister," he said with a grin on his face. Juice quickly got off of me, causing me to groan again, this time in frustration.

"What do you want, Jackson?" I snapped, sitting up. And how did everyone manage to let themselves into my house? Haven't their heard of privacy? Isn't that why I moved out in the first place?

"Just came by to see if you can look after Abel for me tomorrow," he answered, crossing his arms. The grin never left his face, making me scowl. "The club has a run tomorrow," he looked over at Juice, who nodded in understanding, "And Tara has work and Mom's busy. You're all that's left."

"Glad I'm your third choice," I muttered grumpily.

"Will you do it then?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Great." He turned to go. "By the way, if you keep making that ugly expression, you're gonna turn ugly."

I hissed and threw a pillow at him, though he ducked and left down the hallway. I rolled over, buried my face into my other pillow and screamed as loud as I could.

"You gonna suffocate yourself?" Juice asked. I nodded without lifting my face. "All right." He laid down next to me, crossing his arms under his head.

* * *

At five o'clock, Juice dropped me off at my parents' place. I had showered and changed, making myself look presentable before heading over. My mother was inside, already at the kitchen, cooking. I joined her without saying a word and we fell into the routine I had gotten used to over the years.

A little past five thirty, Bobby let himself in through the back way, a cake in hand. I stared at the cake, knowing it was going to taste really good. Unlike the rest of the club, Bobby was good in the kitchen and his culinary talent was something I came to love as a young girl.

"Don't let that distract you," my mother warned. I shook my head and went back to chopping vegetables as Bobby grinned and set the cake down as close to me as he could. I stuck my tongue out at him as he walked in the dining room.

"Are you sure we can't just have a ta-" I didn't get a chance to finish that sentence.

"No."

I sighed at my mother who merely smiled at me as she took something out of the oven.

I heard the front door open and the voices of some of the old ladies came pouring in. They made their way into the kitchen to assist us. I was grateful for that; because I was so much younger, they always thought I didn't know what I was doing in there and normally kicked me out or made me do something really easy. Today, it was the former.

I went into the dining room and sat down across from Bobby.

"Taste the cake yet?" he asked, though I already knew he knew the answer. I shook my head, the picture of youthful sadness. "Aww. It's okay, baby girl. It's really good."

"That doesn't help," I commented as my sadness drifted away. I could hear the sound of motorcycles over the noise from the kitchen. I got up and went to the door. I stepped outside and leaned against the wall, watching as members of the MC got off their bikes as they talked and joked together. It was just my dad, Jax, Juice, Tig and Happy. I tried figuring out where Half-Sack, Chibs, Piney and Opie must have been at but I couldn't. They would show up later anyways.

"Hey, baby girl," Dad said as he passed me. I grinned at him though remained against the wall. Jax whacked me lightly in the stomach, causing me to swat at him. This time, I followed him inside.

The noise indoors had gotten – unsurprisingly – louder. The men all headed to the table and sat down, conversing with Bobby. They were talking about shit related to the club so I went back into the kitchen. I barely stepped in before I had plates shoved into my hands. I stared blankly down at them.

"Set the table," my mom said, enunciating like I was an idiot. I nodded and brought the plates to the dining room, setting them at each spot. I did more similar trips with the utensils and drinks. The other women brought the food and soon we were all sitting around the table, eating, drinking and talking.

Not long into the meal, Half-Sack and Chibs showed up, the latter saying Opie and Piney wouldn't be able to make it. The conversation continued.

I didn't talk much; just listened to the conversation from where I was wedged at the crowded table between Juice and Jax. The topics kept switching between everyone's family lives, work, school from the kids, and even the club business that was more known to everyone there. Even after all the food was gone (including the _awesome_ cake from Bobby), everyone continued to talk. Feeling tired, I picked up my plate and excused myself from the table. I went mostly ignored, which was good because then some would have made a fuss I was leaving. I put my dirty dishes in the sink and went outside through the back way.

The cold air hit me, causing me to shiver, but I decided against going back in for a coat. I dropped down onto the grass in the yard, stretching out and staring up at the sky. Rarely have I seen so many stars. They were soothing; even more so with the faint noise coming from inside. As much as I liked to say I didn't like eating in large groups like that, I frankly enjoyed it. Being with my family like that was my favorite place. And hearing all the others talked was the most calming experience for me. It was like that even when I was a child. I just liked listening to all their voices.

A sweater unceremoniously dropped over my face.

"Hey," I complained, my voice muffled by the sweater. I heard Juice chuckled before he laid in the grass next to me. I pulled the sweater off my face and pulled it on, relishing in the warmed. "Where'd you get this?"

"Your dad told me to give you that," he answered with a slight shrug before grinning at me. "He said he'd be damned if he let his dumb ass daughter freeze to death."

"Glad to know Daddy loves me," I grumbled, though I was grateful for him. Juice chuckled again.

"What are you doing out here anyway?" he asked. "It's getting really cold."

"Just felt like it," I answered vaguely. I really just wanted to laze around by myself, to be honest. I didn't get a lot of alone time, not in my life. But I didn't want to leave the comfort of having my family around. I needed to be near them. "Aren't you gonna get cold?" I suddenly asked, looking over at him. He was just in a t-shirt and his cut.

"You can fix that," he suggested, his grin expanding. I rolled my eyes before shuffling closer to him and wrapping an arm around his torso. I rested my head on his chest as I felt his arm circle around me. We both laid there, staring up at the sky. It felt better this time, better than earlier where I was by myself. The voices of the others were comforting; Juice's very presence could overshadow that.

"Think if I pissed from the doorway, I could hit 'em?"

Both Juice and I looked at the source of the voice. Tig, Chibs and Jax were at the doorway, watching us. It took me a moment to register what Tig had said.

"Ewww, you big creep!" I shouted, getting up quickly. Juice sat up but remained on the grass. I could see he was mulling over whether or not Tig would really do it. Jax and Chibs both started snickering as I crossed my arms and pouted, much like a child.

"What are you screaming about now?" my dad demanded, appearing behind them in the doorway.

"Oh nothing. She's just being a woman," Tig answered. "Bitching like all the rest." I could hear slight protests from the women inside. A spoon even flew, hitting Tig in the back of the head. That caused me to lose my somewhat serious expression and giggle. "You'd find that funny, wouldn't you?"

"Every time you get hit, it's funny," Jax answered for me, shooting me a grin, which I returned.

"Once you're all done messing around, get back inside, it's cold," my dad merely said, disappearing back into the kitchen. Jax, Tig and Chibs followed. I looked down at Juice.

"We going in?" he asked me. I settled back down on the grass.

"I'm not done messing around yet," I answered. He looked confused until I pressed my lips to his. I could feel him grin against me. He pushed me back onto the grass, pulling himself on top of me. I merely wrapped my arms around his neck, not resisting.

"Seriously, you two? In the yard?"

My mother's words went unnoticed.

**//END**


	3. Teenager

**A/N:** This one took me longer to do because I got distracted by Fire Emblem. Anyways... This one takes place five years ago when Kelly was fifteen. Just felt like getting this one out of the way.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sons of Anarchy, just the characters you don't recognize. The song is Fifteen by Taylor Swift because it was the first teenager-related song I thought of. Well, except Teenagers by My Chemical Romance but that wouldn't exactly be appropriate.

* * *

**SONS OF ANARCHY**

**100 theme challenge**

**61. Teenager**

_'Cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you  
You're gonna believe them__  
And when you're fifteen__  
Feeling like there nothing to figure out__  
Well count to ten, take it in__  
This is life before you know who you're gonna be__  
Fifteen_

_-- "Fifteen", Taylor Swift_

_5 years ago_

I groaned as I rolled over, opening my eyes to stare at my alarm clock. Eight o'clock. That meant I had one hour to get ready and go to school. I sat up, throwing my blankets off. I immediately felt grumpy. Why didn't Mom or Dad wake me up when I missed the alarm? Getting to my feet, I grabbed whatever clothes I had laying around that looked and smelled clean. I wasn't always a stickler for my appearance and today really wasn't the time to start to be one.

With a plain blue t-shirt and jeans on, I came down the stairs as I ran my brush quickly through my hair. I stopped when I heard the voices of Jax and my parents in the dining room. I knew they were talking club business by just how seriously they sounded. Slowly I made my way into the kitchen. All three paused in their talking when they heard the noise but continued once they varified it was me.

"So, this happened because of Kyle?" my mother continued. They were talking quieter now so I strained to hear their voices as I made myself a jam sandwich.

"Yeah. Stupid son of a bitch left Opie there to be caught." It was easy to identify the anger in Jax's voice. I felt somewhat confused by the conversation. Where did Kyle leave Opie? I took my sandwich to the dining room table and sat at the end, nibbling thoughtfully. The adults continued to ignore me.

"What's the club going to do about this?" Mom asked. Through the corner of my eye, I saw my dad take a long drag of his cigar.

"We haven't decided yet," he answered after a pause. "We haven't spoken much of it, except to tell the others what happened. We don't want Kyle getting scared and running before we have a…talk."

"Whatever it is though, Kyle's gonna hurt," Jax stated, still angry. "Because of that fucker, Opie's looking at a lot of jail time."

"Opie's going to jail?" I suddenly asked, looking up. Now it was obvious what had Jax so pissed. I felt a little upset myself; Opie had always been like a brother to me since he was Jax's best friend. I couldn't believe it myself, him being gone like that.

The three were finally paying me attention. But I guess they thought it was time to end the conversation. My mother stood up and took the empty plate from in front of me to the kitchen sink. My dad just went quiet, looking off into space. Jax stood as well.

"Come on, squirt," he said to me, the anger easing away. "I'll take you to school."

"All right," I replied, slightly uncertain. I followed him to the door where my backpack waited for me as it always did. For some reason, Mom always thought that I would leave it behind if I kept it in my bedroom.

"You have your gun?" Dad called as I shrugged my backpack on. I gave him a look.

"I can't take a gun to school, Dad," I retorted, unimpressed.

"You better take it. If any guy tries to hit on my little girl, I want his balls blown off."

"I second that," Jax added with a grin.

I scowled before pushing past my brother outside. He called a goodbye to the parents before following me.

The ride to school was one filled with silence on both our parts. I could tell Jax wasn't really in the mood for talking and I was still trying to figure out what exactly had happened with Kyle and Opie. Before I knew it, we were in front of my high school. I got off the back, handing him the helmet.

"Is Opie really getting put away?" I asked, adjusting the wait on my shoulders. Jax thought it over for a moment.

"It looks that way," he answered at last. I frowned but didn't reply. "Just don't mention it in school to anyone."

"I know, I know." Why did everyone think I was going to blurt out everything I heard them talking about? The school's warning bell rang then, causing the milling students to get their things together and head inside.

"Have a good day," Jax said as he started his bike back up. I waved as I watched him leave before sprinting to the school. I had biology first thing and, if I was late, my teacher would be a real bitch about it.

* * *

I twiddled my thumbs as I stared out the car window. Peyton's mother had picked us both up from school and she was going to drop me off at the garage. Typically I spent my time after school here when I wasn't out with my friends, like today was going to be. Peyton had to go see her grandmother; Alice had to finish her advanced chemistry project. That left me to help out at the garage and do my homework in the clubhouse.

The car pulled up and I climbed out as it rolled to a stop, calling my goodbyes. Peyton's mother waited until I was at the clubhouse door before driving away. She had lived in the city, prior to moving to Charming and marrying Peyton's father. Her time their led her to believe that if she didn't make sure I made it to the doorway, someone was sure to kidnap me. Like anyone in Charming was stupid enough to kidnap the biker king and queen's daughter.

I opened the clubhouse door quietly and slipped inside, closing it instead of letting it slam shut. The clubhouse appeared empty but the chapel's door was shut. I searched the room until I spotted the box on a nearby table that held all their cellphones. It meant they were in church.

The situation this morning had gotten me curious. I walked as quietly as I could, glad my sneakers didn't betray me with any squeaks and settled down into a couch next to the chapel's window. I could just faintly hear their voices on the other side. As I set my backpack gently on the floor, I continued the amount of cellphones in the box. All were accounted for except for two. And I knew which ones they were. Kyle's and Opie's.

I got up onto my knees on the couch and pressed my ear against the wall. This had the effect I was hoping for. I could make out their voices better.

"…-hole needs to pay," someone demanded. That was Tig. "Abandoning Opie like that!"

"What do we do then?" This one was Bobby. There was a brief moment of silence as they all tried to figure out what was a suitable punishment.

"Just kill him and be done with it," Tig said, breaking the silence.

"No. I want retribution for what he did." This was the angriest voice by far but ti made sense since it was Piney. "He betrayed my son and left him to fend for himself."

"What kind of retribution do you want exactly?" My dad asked. I could tell he was trying to be diplomatic about it; find the best solution that would not only let them deal with Kyle but would keep the club out of the spotlight.

"Whatever tortures him the most," Piney replied gruffly. Another moment of silence followed.

"Exile." More silence followed after Jax's suggestion.

"Exile?" The questioning tone came from Chibs.

"Yeah. Remove him from the club. Ban him from Charming. Excommunication. He has to leave everything he knows here."

There were mumblings as they thought it over.

"And his family?" Bobby asked.

"Take 'em with him, if they'll go. But none of them can every come back to Charming. Or go anywhere else where the Sons are."

There was a grumble of approvable as my dad called a vote. I winced at the fate they were imposing on Kyle. To any outsider, it seemed like it wasn't a big deal, but to someone of the club, well… They were being forced to remove themselves from their life, basically. And they had to avoid any place that was associated with the club. That would be hard.

I heard my father use the gravel, signifying the end of the meeting. I quickly grabbed my backpack and ran quietly to the bar. I dropped my back next to it as I heard the scrape of the chairs as they got up. Luckily I had left my backpack partially zipped open when I left school. I quickly tugged out one of my textbooks and flipped it open so I could look like I was reading at the bar.

The door to the chapel opened in time for them to see my charade.

"Hey, princess," my dad greeted, coming over. He didn't suspect I had been eavesdropping. I got him a beer, which he took with a thanks, before getting one for everyone else. "How was school?"

"Same old, same old," I answered airily. My dad left me as the others grabbed beers and most of them went outside. Jax sat down at the bar, watching me as I tried to look like the perfect student and read my book.

"How much did you hear?" he asked. I looked at him, the picture of surprise. The expectant look he gave me, however, made me give it up. Damn bastard knew me too well.

"Not a whole lot," I answered honestly. "Just what you decided to do." I paused as he smiled slightly. "I was curious, okay?"  
"I'll tell you about it when we have more details," he said as he stood up. "Just don't let your curiosity get you in trouble with Clay. You know he doesn't want you knowing more than you should. For your own good."

"I know," I grumbled, shutting my textbook. I had no need for it now. "What exactly is gonna happen with Kyle's family?"

"Don't know yet," he answered, taking a drink from his beer. "But Clay said he'll talk to Mom and she'll call his wife up, see what she thinks."

"When's all this going down?"

"Tonight. So, get your ass home soon, understand? You shouldn't be around for this."

"Yes, sir," I answered. Maybe it was a good time to head home now. I put my book back into my backpack before following Jax outside. The club members were hanging around their bikes, talking. My dad was in the garage's office, speaking with my mom. I walked with Jax to the club members.

"I want to go home," I demanded, much like a child. I received a few raised eyebrows and a couple of chuckles.

"I'll do it," Chibs said, downing his beer. He went towards his bike and I followed. "C'mon, brat, let's get you home."

I said my goodbyes to the other club members before getting on the back of Chibs' bike. As we drove off, I thought about the conversation I had heard earlier. I just hoped everything would work out for the club and nothing bad would happen to Opie. That was all I really wanted.

**//END**


	4. Running Away

**A/N:** Watching SoA re-runs inspires me to write. This one has a sadder tone to it. Sorry about that. But I've been listening to sad romantic songs lately and it made me want to do this. Okay, this one isn't actually a one-shot. This one is a two-shot (this statement totally makes sense). The one I'll be writing next continues after this. So don't hate me for how this one ends. There will be more afterward that directly relates to this. This is me sneakily doing away with two themes with one storyline. Hope you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sons of Anarchy. Just characters you don't recognize. And the song this time is by the Red Hot Chili Peppers though I haven't been listening to it (just for the first five minutes of writing). Mostly, I'm listening to Taylor Swift. Yeah, blame her (but not really).

* * *

**SONS OF ANARCHY**

**100 theme challenge**

**13. Running Away**

_Don't be late I hear it_  
_Gonna be so very great and_  
_Out the door I'm a walking like a runaway_  
_All the reasons that I count of you can hold away_  
_More and more I'm a walking like a runaway_

_-- "Runaway", Red Hot Chili Peppers_

I was sitting on the floor in Opie's house. It was getting late but it was Friday night so I didn't feel the need to put the kids in bed yet. We were playing a game of Monopoly and I was sorely getting my ass kicked. I couldn't see how kids so much younger than I was were able to beat me so easily. It made me a little grumpy, to say the least. That seemed to amuse them though, having already named me a funny babysitter.

I had taken to babysitting Opie's kids whenever I could at since I was a teenager. My mom had originally suggested it to me once when Opie and Donna needed a sitter, and – for some reason I could never comprehend – she said I would do it for free. So that kept me penniless for all the work on put into the munchkins. Oh well. It was for Opie who was like a brother to me, and I had grown rather fond of them over the years.

Tonight, though, I had three of them. Lyla had left her son with us as well since she and Opie had wanted to go out. On a date. Not that they would admit the last part.

I heard the sounds of a motorcycle pulling up into the driveway. I looked at the clock. It was nearly eleven.

"Shit." The kids looked at me, slightly alarmed. "Run. To bed." The three got up and bolted for their rooms so they could fake the 'they were put in bed' on time thing. The kids liked me enough to not rat me out in these situations. Besides, it meant they could stay up late.

I got up off the floor, holding the Monopoly board with all its pieces before dropping it all in the box. I took the box to the small pile of board games pushed off to the side and set it on top before dropping back on the couch in a phase of pseudo half asleep-ness. Luckily, we had left the tv on. It looked like I had been doing that the entire time.

The front door open, admitting the two I had been expecting. I grinned up at them as they came into the living room.

"How was your _date_?" I asked, emphasizing the word I knew Opie wouldn't want to hear. Expectantly, he flinched, causing my grin to widen. Lyla merely smiled as she went to check on the kids. I hoped that all these years of me rushing them through this little set-up that they would be fast changers. Opie dropped onto the couch next to me, causing me to sit up straight so he wouldn't squish my legs.

"How was your night?" he asked, grabbing the remote and surfing channels. It didn't escape me that he had worked around my question.

"Fine," I answered with a shrug. "We played Monopoly and I ordered pizza for supper because I'm much too lazy to cook."

"Ah." I could tell by his tone he really wasn't listening to me. That was fine. I needed to get home. I stood up and stretched. A yawn escaped my lips, surprising me. I didn't realize that I was actually tired. This caught Opie's attention.

"I'll take you home," he offered, getting up. I debated this in my head. Juice had dropped me off earlier so I didn't have my car here. And it would take too long to walk home and I was much of one for walking that distance in the dark alone.

"All right," I agreed as I went to grab my purse. I waited by the door as he went to tell Lyla where we were going. As he came back, I gave him another of my devious grins. "You two sure seem real serious."

"That's nice, squirt," Opie answered off-handedly as he swatted at my head. I ducked and started complaining that he still called me squirt. I had gotten that nickname from him at the age of four. And he didn't seem like he would be letting up on it any time soon. And he had manage to avoid my question. Again.

The ride home was quiet, like it normally was. I enjoyed riding on the back of the motorcycle too much to ruin it by talking a lot. Though I was tempted to just let out a bloodcurdling scream in Opie's ear for calling me a squirt when I was an adult but that would probably cause us to crash. And I didn't want to ruin Opie's pretty beard now, did I?

When we got to my house, we said our goodbyes and I went to the door. Opie waited in the driveway until I had gotten inside before driving off. I sighed, throwing my purse haphazardly in a random direction. I flinched when it hit the wall, suddenly remembering my cell was in there. That was stupid of me. I retrieved my cell phone, inspecting it to make sure I didn't break it. Luckily, it was still fine. It must have been tough, considering I did that every so often.

I went up to my room, checking any messages on my phone. I had been too wrapped up in the kids to really pay attention to it today. I frowned slightly as I flicked my bedroom light on. I had no messages. Juice usually left me at least one message before the day was out, unless we were together. Was that just me acting like a paranoid freak? Maybe the club had business to take care of. But that just brought me back to Opie. He was off canoodling with Lyla. My frown deepened at the idea my brain just used the word canoodling. Seriously. I must have spent too much time with Piney in my childhood.

I shook my head, setting my phone on the bedside table. Juice would probably laugh at me for acting like this. I located the overly large shirt I normally slept in before changing for bed. As I brushed my teeth, I thought it over some more. I spat, a little annoyed at myself. I had just gotten used to his overprotectiveness that caused him to check up on me before he went to bed every night.

'It's too late to be thinking about this,' I thought to myself as I left the bathroom. It was a little amusing to me, now that I really thought about it. Didn't I sometimes complain about him doing this? Now that it didn't happen, I was freaking out. What a hypocrite I was. Flicking the light off, I crawled into bed and went to sleep.

* * *

I got up later than I usually did, the ten on my alarm clock staring me in the face. I didn't have work at the diner that day. I had worked every day all week and Peyton's mom thought to give me a break. I took a quick shower, dressing in a pair of jean shorts and a white tanktop. I wasn't much of one for dressing up day to day. My breakfast consisted on a bowl of Frosted Flakes. I crunched thoughtfully, enjoying their sugary taste. My home phone began to ring as I put my bowl and spoon in the sink, telling myself I'd wash them after I got home that day.

It was my mother, asking me if I'd come work at the garage today since she was going to be busy. I agreed to it, though I sighed when hung up. I was hoping for the day off, but if they needed someone in the office at the family business, I guess that I would have to do it. I fetched my cell from upstairs and stuffed it into my purse before going to my car.

The drive didn't take too long. I was going slightly over the speed limit but it wasn't enough of a rise that any cop who saw me would actually pull me over. The drive to the garage was so implanted in my mind that I didn't really pay attention to the road. My mind was more focused on the loud 80s rock music I was blaring off my speakers. I pulled up into the garage parking lot and parked in my usual spot.

My first thought was to go into the clubhouse. I had left my jacket there last time I stayed over it and I didn't know if I would need it any time soon. Now was a good a time as any to fetch it.

I went into the clubhouse and stopped dead cold.

The scene was the one I saw every now and then. Members of the club were passed out in various places around the large room. They had their hangerson and their sweet butts sprawled out with them. Beer bottles laid around on the floor – a hazard to any one of these people if they stepped on them after waking. It wasn't something I usually flinched at.

What did make me flinch was what I saw on the pool table.

Juice laid there, asleep. It wasn't a big surprise to see him sleeping on the pool table. At least one of the guys always made the pool table his bed for the night and Juice had did it on more than one occasion. But this time, it was different.

He was sleeping without his shirt, a beer bottle dangling loosely in one hand. And sleeping next to him, one practically on top, were two sweet butts. Or crow eaters. Or whatever the fuck they were.

I felt anger swell up inside, but it died relatively fast. Something replaced it. I couldn't quite figure out what it was but it made my heart break.

Without thinking I turned heel and walked as quickly as I could out of the clubhouse.

My destination was my car. I didn't glance up at the garage or even think about it. Though I knew my mom would be pissed I was now skipping out on work, I didn't really care.

"Kelly, where are you going?" Lowell called from the garage as I reached my car. My flinched and looked up at him over my car roof. The other guys had stopped too, obviously having noticed my purposeful walk to the car and thinking I was leaving. I cursed under my breath. My mother must have mentioned I was going to be working there that day.

"Nowhere important," I called back. My voice cracked a bit, indicating something was wrong. None of them moved as I got into my car. They didn't know me well enough to know what to do about it and they needed to get to work. I honked my horn at them in a warning to get moving. They seemed to take note of this and started moving again. I drove out of the garage parking lot at lightning speed.

I could feel the build-up of tears but I forced them back angerily. I wanted to get as far away from their as possible. That was a sight I was promised I would never see; not just by him, but by practically everyone I knew. For fuck's sake, wasn't that what the damn crow on my back was for? For once, I was glad I couldn't even see it.

I spent the next hour driving randomly on the streets of Charming, having no destination in mind. I wanted to go somewhere away that they wouldn't really think I was there but I couldn't even figure that out. The tears were starting to drip down my cheeks and I pulled over. I wipe them hastily away with the back of my hand as I stared blankly at the road ahead of me. I was somewhere on the outskirts of the town now. I didn't know where I could go where someone wouldn't spot me and turn me in to one of the Sons.

Slowly, I licked my lips, which felt really dry. It was nearing noon. Soon, my phone would probably start ring with my mother or father demanding to know why I wasn't at the garage like I said I would be. A plan started formulating itself in my mind. Glancing in my rearview mirror, I could tell that my crying made me look like a mess. It took my a moment to get myself together. Once I was sure I could drive again without crashing into someone, I began moving again. My destination now was my house.

The streets were quiet as I pulled up in my driveway. I got out and went inside to drag something for lunch. I didn't want to spend too much time there so I just grabbed a bag of chips and a pop can. Aside from the kitchen, the only place I visited was my bedroom to grab a sweater since I failed to retrieve my jacket. After putting my sweat on, I paused in my bedroom door, swallowing a lump in my throat. Once again, I had to take a moment to get myself together.

I left my house, locking it up. I took off walking, leaving my car in the driveway. I didn't want to drive it right now. Walking would be easier since I could clear my head. And if I got a little too… emotional I wasn't dangerous to anyone's well being except my own.

This time, I knew where I was heading. The location was firmly imprinted in my mind that I could walk and think about the situation without really having to pay attention. I munched on my chips slowly. Every now and then, I felt my phone vibrate in my purse but I ignored it, too lost in thought. The idea that I was overreacting didn't even cross my mind. I knew what I saw, and I didn't like it. It couldn't be much less than the obvious, right?

My chip bag lasted me to the last building in Charming. I crumbled it up and threw it towards a nearby garbage can though I didn't look to see if I made it in. I made a pause here, staring out at the expanse of road that continued though the buildings had stopped. My location was border the town border while still being in the town limits, if that made any sense. I readjusted my purse on my shoulder and chugged down the pop, almost choking on it. I threw the can towards the garbage can as well. This one didn't make it in; I could hear the noise as it hit the sidewalk. Inhaling a deep breath, I continued my trek.

I didn't follow the road. I rather not be noticed in case someone was actually looking for me, as off as that chance was. I walked through the woods, slipping every now and then on the uneven terrain. It was definitely a welcome relief when I saw what I was looking for.

Knocking on the door, I heard Piney swear loudly inside. This made me smile, even if it only lasted a second. The cabin's door swung open and Piney stood before me, looking ready freak out on whoever was disturbing him. It took him a moment but he seemed to see something in my face that said something wasn't right.

"You need something, Kel?" he asked, gruffly though I could see his heart wasn't in it. I tried my best to brighten my expression with a smile. This made Piney wince, which meant I was have failed miserably.

"Somewhere to stay where no one knows I am," I said, answering his question. He didn't probe farther. He stepped aside to let me in. I went inside and wandered into the front room as I heard the door shut behind me. Dropping onto the couch, I pulled my phone out of my purse. I chewed on my bottom lip hard enough to break the skin and bleed as I rooted through the messages left on my phone. There were a couple dozen, which slightly surprised me. Most of them were left by Juice and Mom. There were a couple from Jax and Dad, and one each from Chibs, Half-Sack, Opie and Bobby. I knew Dad's tactics, trying to see if I would answer if it was someone I wasn't expecting calling. But he had used that one too many times on me; I could see it coming from a mile away.

I didn't bother listening to most of them, just the latest one that came from my mom.

"_Where the hell are you?_" her voice demanded, though I could hear the concern seeping through. "_I got back and you weren't here. Lowell said you showed up but ran off after less than five minutes. Answer your phone, Kelly, or I'll find you and kick your ass myself._" That was it.

"Love you too, Mom," I muttered at the phone before throwing it onto the table. It made a loud thud as it hit. Piney came into the room just then, a cup of coffee in his hands. With a groan, he settled into the couch next to me.

"You wanna tell me what this shit's about?" he asked, taking a sip. I shook my head as I wrapped my arms around myself. He glanced at me sidelong before drinking some more.

"I just need somewhere to be before I run off," I muttered. He didn't seem alarmed over that, like some other people I know would be.

"This about something stupid Juice did?" I went still at the question. This seemed to answer him and he didn't say anything more. I hung my head, staring at my legs. I didn't really want to think about it, not so close to home. What I saw… It was one of my worst nightmares. It was hard to believe I didn't just dream it up before I haven't felt tired all day. That must mean I was wide awake.

It was surprising to feel Piney's arm circle around my shoulders and pull me gently against him. Surprising, but comforting. Piney had been a fatherly figure in my life and I realized that I often ran to him when I was scared. It was easier to go to him sometime than my own parents. I relaxed against his embrace and rested my head on his shoulder.

"You can stay as long as you want," he said, giving my shoulder a pat. I gave another half-hearted smile. That was another thing about Piney I liked: he didn't ask a lot of questions. I sat up straight so he could return to the kitchen.

My phone vibrated on the table and I watched it suspiciously. After listening to it for a moment, I picked it up. Without even checking the number, I answered it. Stupid me.

"Hel-" I didn't even get to finish.

"_Kel, where are you?_" Juice's worried voice asked frantically. I froze, not wanting to hear his voice. I could feel the tears coming on again. "_Kel? Kelly? Are you okay?_"

The phone was tugged gently out of my hand. I stared up at Piney as he hung up and tossed it back onto the table. Almost immediately, it began vibrating again.

"Boy's persistent," Piney grumbled. Almost instinctively, I reached for it. The old man smacked my hand. I scowled, rubbing my sore hand. Now it hurt. "Don't answer the shithead." He left the room to go about his business, leaving me alone on the couch.

Piney was right. If I was going to plan my distraught disappearance properly, I couldn't be answering any calls. Answering _his_ calls. I needed to keep busy to keep from thinking about it. Or the cracks in my heart would make the whole damn thing shatter.

I made due with making Piney and myself supper out of what food I could find in the cabin. As we ate in silence, Piney's phone rang. He cursed as he got up to get it. I watched him through the doorway as he answered.

"What? Jax's slow down, I can't friggin' understand you… How the hell am I supposed to know where she is? I'm up here, 'member? Go call those friends she's always with." He hung up and put the phone back down.

"Grumpy much?" I muttered as he sat back down. He ignored me and continued eating. After supper, I continued to occupy myself with washing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen and front room as much as I could. Piney made one more appearance, telling me that I could sleep in the extra bedroom if I wanted. I only nodded in response. He disappeared into his room then.

At nine, I had run out of things to do. I retrieved my purse and phone and went into the extra room. It was small but I was completely okay with that. I dropped my purse on the floor by the door and flopped onto the bed. It didn't occur to me but I had forgotten to bring clothes to sleep in. Oh well.

Almost obsessively, I started looking at the messages left on my phone. I was in denial, but I wanted to see how much they were looking for me. There were more messages left on my phone. Again, most were left by Juice and my mom. There were even more from Jax and now it seemed Peyton and Alice were trying to get ahold of me. I debated with myself about talking to one or both of them but I knew they were go to my family just because they were worried.

No, for now, I wanted to be left alone. That was why I went to the number one guy who liked being left alone. I let my phone drop onto the floor and kicked my shoes off. It was still early but I was starting to feel incredibly tired. My day felt longer than it was and I didn't like it. Maybe, I would be sleepy enough to not have to think about it or even dream of it.

Quietly – not sure if Piney was asleep bcause I hadn't seen him in hours – I shuffled under the blanket. I buried my face against the pillow. It was a good thing I had decided to leave home for this. If I slept at home, I would be able to smell him. And my heart just couldn't take even that much right now. I licked my cracking lips. I could feel the small cut I had made under them from chewing my bottom lip earlier. The smallest touch seemed to make it hurt; I winced.

Feeling cold even though I was in California and it was a particularly warm night, I curled up into a ball. I would never admit it to anyone, but I cried myself to sleep.

**END**


	5. Heartfelt Apology

**A/N:** This one didn't take as long for me to write. Hoorah! Anyway, you can see the hopeless romantic in me in this one. What? That doesn't make sense with how the other one went? But it will. And it's kind of cheesy at the end but I like it. As I said before this one is the second part to the one before it, Running Away. Hope you enjoy it. And thanks for all the reviews, guys. They help motivate me a lot.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own SoA. I do own the characters not from SoA that I just threw in there. And this song is What Hurts the Most by Rascal Flatts. Cause it's a pretty damn awesome song.

* * *

**SONS OF ANARCHY**

**100 theme challenge**

**58. Heartfelt Apology**

_I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house_  
_That don't bother me_  
_I can take a few tears now and then and just let 'em out_

_I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while even though_  
_Goin' on with you gone still upsets me_  
_There are days every now and again I pretend I'm okay_  
_But that's not what gets me_

_-- "What Hurts the Most", Rascal Flatts_

Piney woke me up earlier than I had expected that morning. I guess all my tossing and turning must have made it hard for him to sleep. I was relieved, at least, that he didn't mention my tear stained pillow. Breakfast was quiet as I sat across the table by Piney and we both ate slightly burnt toast. He disappeared while I washed our dishes and attempted to make sense of the amount of food left in the fridge and cupboards. There really wasn't a lot.

"I've been meaning to go shopping."

I jumped at the sound of his voice as he came back into kitchen.

"That's good," I mumbled in way of reply.

"You wanna go in town?" There was slight uncertainty in his voice, as if he didn't know how exactly I'd react to that question.

"People recognize me in town," I muttered as I wandered into the front room. Piney followed.

"And you don't want to be recognize." It sounded more like he was talking to himself so I didn't reply to the statement. As I slumped onto the couch, I saw him eye a moose head mounted on the wall. A hunter's cap dangled on one of its antlers. He snatched it off and slammed the hat down on my head, hurting my neck. "And now, you aren't recognized."

I stared blankly up at him from under the visor. That really did hurt my neck. I attempted to arrange the hat better on my head. It was true; I really wasn't a person to wear something like this. I rarely ever wore hats in general. Piney was looking around the room again. He grabbed a jacket off the other chair and threw it at me.

"Put that on too," he added. "Covers up your figure."

"All right." I shrugged out of my sweater and pulled the jacket on. It was good enough, if I sat in the back seat of his car with the tinted windows. He seemed good enough to go so he headed outside. I retreated briefly to my room to grab my purse and cellphone. There were more messages left on it. I merely deleted them before going outside.

Piney sat in the front seat of his car. Riding his bike wasn't a good idea when his intentions were grocery shopping. He didn't question me as I climbed into the back seat and sunk low, resting the side of my head against the window. It was nearly impossible to see my face that way.

As we drove into Charming, he decided to hit me with a bomb. "I have to go to the garage," he commented off handedly. This cause me to sit up straight. I could see him look in the rearview mirror at me. "Clay called me in. We have club business to talk about." Horror must have struck my face; that was the one place I didn't want to go right now. Not with everyone there. "Is there somewhere I can leave you?"

I slumped back down in relief. Of course Piney would think of that.

"The Jensens' diner," I answered. It was something I just remembered. "I have work today." Peyton would really want to know where I am, anyways. She could get a little hysterical. I could only imagine how many times Alice had to smack her already.

Piney snorted, as if he thought maybe I would just skip work under the circumstances. Which, thinking about it, I did yesterday. Mom was going to be pissed off with me next time she saw me.

Shopping with Piney was relaxing, truth be told. He merely pushed the cart and let me pick out the food, probably since I had taken up cooking without asking. Every now and then, he complained about my choices but I stared at him with that puppy dog look that always worked on my own dad. Piney didn't have girls; he could not resist their force. His defeated yet defiant reactions to this also made me giggle though the sound was half-hearted.

We were at the check-out when the sounds of motorcycles were heard down the street. I froze where I was taking things out of the cart for the cashier. I stopped what I was doing to go to the front window and stared out. Jax was in the lead. Bobby, Opie and Chibs followed him in usual formation. I chewed on my bottom lip. They weren't part of the situation but they were more likely to pry into my business and they were obviously worried at my sudden disappearing act. Now was not the time or place to deal with them. I wasn't ready for it. I ducked around the check-outs, heading deeper into the store.

"Bye, Piney," I called over my shoulder.

"Seeya, Kel," he replied without even looking up. Good ol' Piney. No questions. I could marry that man.

I hit the back hall that led to the bathrooms just as I could faintly hear the front doors slide open and the guys greet Piney. I paused to listen to his response. Once I heard nothing relating to me, I continued down the hall. The emergency exit at the end was partially open, a box holding it so. I slid through it into the back lot.

I stood there, staring at my surroundings. What was I going to do now? I tugged my cellphone out of my purse and stared at it for a moment before quicking dialling Alice's number.

Our conversation was short. She didn't sound too surprised at my voice nor did she act like a maniac that I was missing. That was Alice for you. She agreed to pick me up and take me to the diner. I didn't know how she was going to do it exactly, what with members of the club out front, but she merely drove right into the backlot. I climbed into the backseat and laid, sprawled out. She passed the guys without so much as them noticing us as they helped Piney load his car with groceries.

The diner wasn't particularly busy at this time of day. We entered without being bothered. Peyton looked up from the cash register and looked like she was about to give a hysterical scream of joy. Her mother, standing next to her and sensing danger, jab her sharply in the ribs. This made Alice smirk as we approached.

"I brought you the missing waitress," she said, leaning against the counter. I gave both Jensens a half-hearted smile.

"You want to work in the back today?" Mrs. Jensen asked without missing a beat. I stared at her, awed. Her killer mother instincts were alive and kicking. I nodded. "Well, we need to update all the records, do the billing… The files are in the back room but you can sit in the kitchen and keep Rocky company."

I nodded again and went into the back room, leaving Piney's hat and jacket in my locker. Like she said, the files were on the table. I took them into the kitchen and sat on the sparkling clean floor under the service window that looked out into the diner. From this positon, no one in the diner could see me – just how I wanted it.

After working for an hour and getting a rather sore butt, I heard the jingle of the front bell at the door. It didn't make me move; I've been hearing it all day. What did make me go still was the voice.

"Hey, Peyton."

I flinched visibly, causing Rocky, the cook, to look down at me, confused. It was Juice's voice, closer than it had been in over twenty four hours.

"Hey, Juice." Peyton's voice had a hint of uncertainty and suspicion in it. I hadn't gotten around to telling her or Alice what had happened to make me run off, but they were bright enough to come to the conclusion it had to do with Juice.

"Have you heard from her at all?" he asked. I could hear the concern in his voice and it was very strong. That poked at my heart a little. As much as the sight of him the morning before hurt, my heart still didn't like hearing him like that. He sounded borderline upset and I hated it when he was unhappy. I bit my tongue to keep me quiet.

"Yeah. She called here earlier." That was Alice's voice. My eyes went wide. I had thought Alice went home a while ago, considering she didn't even work here. But apparently she had hung around. And that meant she was going to spite Juice as much as possible. I wanted to lunge through the window to tackle her down but that would give me away.

"Did she?" His voice was hopeful now. I banged my head lightly against the wall behind me, annoyed with how life was going right now. The noise wasn't loud enough to catch anyone's attention.

"Yeah. And she's pissed at you." It came out almost sing-song. Yes, I was going to throttle Alice once Juice left.

"…Did she tell you why?"

"Cause you're a douchebag. Now order something or leave. You're loitering."

There wasn't an answer. The door merely open again and I could hear his motorcycle start up and flee down the road. I stood up, leaning in the window to stare at my two friends.

"You're a hypocrite, Alice," Peyton merely commented, though she eyed me with concern. Alice shrugged and continued to loiter.

* * *

It took a lot of time to explain the situation to Peyton and Alice, mostly because I had a hard time talking about it. They merely sat back and listened to what I had to say without judging it. That made me relieved. After my shift, Alice drove me out to Piney's cabin. She didn't stay for very long. It would look rather suspicious if she was there, considering she could barely remember Piney's name.

Piney's car was back in front of the cabin though his bike was missing. I decided he must have came back, put the groceries away and then left for the garage like he said he was going to do earlier that day. Again, I felt the need to try and keep myself busy. There really wasn't a lot to do in the cabin, considering I had spent most of yesterday cleaning. I stood in the doorway for a long time, staring around the room. I felt mostly defeated as I tossed my purse onto the couch along with Piney's jacket and hat.

I had discovered that Piney didn't have a washer or dryer so any thoughts of keeping busy by doing laundry failed. But, I managed to locate a beaten up old duster, which I used to make a sweep of the entire cabin. It wasn't a surprise that Piney didn't clean this place very often; he didn't seem like a person that cared for the mess. But I was taught to keep a clean house so as long as I was here, that was what I was going to do.

Five o'clock found me in the kitchen as I tried to figure out what I was going to make Piney for supper. I had helped with the grocery shopping but that didn't mean I wasn't indecisive. To make matters worse, I didn't know what time Piney was going to get back. In the end, I decided to go through the process of cooking hamburgers. Piney's health was something to worry about what I didn't think a couple of hamburgers were going to make him drop dead on my watch.

As I sat at the kitchen table watching the oven, I heard the sound of a motorcycle pull up front. I got up and went to the fridge, pulling out half empty mustard, ketchup and relish bottles. I didn't know which ones Piney liked on his burgers. And I didn't know if he wanted tomatoes or lettuce either. I decided to go ask; if he wanted them, I still had time to cut some up.

"Hey, Piney, what do you like on your….burgers…" The last word trailed off as I went into the front room. Piney wasn't there. In his stead were Jax and Chibs, who stared at me as if I was a ghost. I mentally cursed myself for not being able to decipher the sound two bikes from one.

"Kel-"

I didn't wait around to finish listening to what Jax was going to say. I turned and bolted into the kitchen, hoping for an escape. Of course, there wasn't one. Life really hated me.

"Fuck! Why doesn't this damn cabin have a back door?" I demanded, slamming my hands on the wall where one would expect a door to be.

"Are you done?" I turned around to face Jax. He leaned against the kitchen door frame, watching me with both amusement and disapproval. I could see Chibs behind him, equally impressed.

I briefly eyed the window above the sink but came to the conclusion that, even if I could fit through, they would easily stop me. I nodded in response to Jax's question.

"Good. Cause now I'm gonna kick your ass."

I winced at my brother's tone. I haven't heard that tone since I was seventeen and had decided to take my mom's car for a joy ride around Charming. It was hard to imagine, but seeing it up close was a little scary. Jax was as terrifying as Mom and Dad.

"…Sorry," I managed to weakly get out.

"Sorry? All you have to say is _sorry_?" Jax had crossed the small kitchen in a few quick strides to stand before me. "You disappear for two fuckin' days and that's all you can come up with? _Sorry_? No phone calls. No messages. I've been worried sick. Clay's so pissed he'd probably wipe out half of Charming to find you. And Mom. Oh, don't get me started on Mom. And all this time." He paused briefly to take a deep breath. I could feel the rest of the tirade coming on. "All this time, you've been shacked up here with Piney. Piney. Really? You're having fits of insanity and the person you go to is Piney? Whatever happened to going to me or Mom or Juice?"

That did it. That last name broke me down. Even with my brother having a fit in my face, I couldn't control my tears. I just began sobbing, as well as somewhat hyperventiliating, in front of Jax. The tears caused my eyes to get misty and I couldn't see what as well but Jax seemed a little stunned at this reaction.

"Now you've done it," I heard Chibs mumbled from somewhere else in the kitchen.

I didn't know if it was to shut me up or just his plain brotherly instinct, but Jax's arms wrapped around me, tugging me into a tight, warm embrace. I buried my face into his chest and continued to cry, soaking up his shirt. He didn't say anything; he merely held me there, one armed tight around my waist while the other stroked my hair.

We stood there in the kitchen like that in silence for God knows how long. The only sounds were my crying and Chibs shifting around every now and then. They let me stay like that until I was all cried out.

"Someone needs to take the hamburgers out," I muttered, my voice muffled by Jax's shirt as well as cracking from all the crying. I backed away from him and hiccupped, causing him to give me a crooked smile. Chibs had done what I asked, taking the burgers out of the oven. They looked only slightly overdone. That was good.

"I need to make a phonecall," Jax suddenly said, turning his back on me. I felt sudden panic at the thought of him leaving, though that was really foolish of me. Chibs raised an eyebrow and Jax merely looked at him. They seemed to exchange some private conversation without even speaking, one that I couldn't understand.

"C'mon, darlin'." Chibs was suddenly beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and tugging me along. After my breakdown, I couldn't even put an effort into fighting him. I just let him drag me off as Jax took out his cell.

Chibs took me outside and we walked around the cabin to the back. There was a old log sitting meters away from the cabin; Chibs took me there. I didn't bother to complain about all the dirt that would get on my shorts as he dragged me down to sit on it. I hadn't changed my clothes since yesterday. What would it matter?

We didn't talk. I merely sat there, staring off into space while Chibs rubbed my shoulder in comfort. I didn't know what to say to him anyways. All thoughts of the whole business just made me upset. And I was doing so well at holding it in until they showed up.

After a while, Jax came outside to stand next to us. Like Chibs, he didn't seem to feel the need to drag whatever this was about out of me. I mentally thanked him for that.

As we waited in silence, I began to wander what had brought them here. Was it mere coincidence or did Piney actually sell me out? I couldn't see the old man doing that unless he was seriously worried about my behavior. I thought he would understand, about wanting to be secluded and away from people. After all, isn't that what he was doing here? But, maybe he knew it was out of my nature. I didn't like being on the spotlight around the people I knew outside of the MC. Those people were constantly judging me because of who I was. But the MC always brought comfort to me. But they didn't this time and he must have saw right through that. Stupid old man. I let out a deep sigh and that's when another noise caught my attention.

It was another motorcycle. Had Piney returned to the cabin? Oh, I had a few words for him. The sound of its engine died off and I could hear the person walking around the cabin. The second I saw him come around the corner, I felt the need to bolt, much like a frightened deer. Chibs must have felt that as he pushed down on my shoulder to keep me in place. Of course the three of them were going to gang up on me. So typical of the Sons.

"Can we get some privacy?" Juice asked. He didn't come any closer than standing next to the cabin's wall. Jax nodded so Chibs stood and the two of them disappeared around the corner of the cabin. I could hear the door open and shut as they went inside. As if my brain was purposefully trying to sidetrack me, it went immediately to thinking they better be doing something about those burgers before they went cold or bad.

"What did I do?" he asked once he was certain the other two were gone.

"Huh?" I sounded so stupid just asking that in response. But it was really all I could muster. He took a tentatively step forward but stopped there.

"Alice said I did something wrong to upset you. Tell me what I did." There was frustration in his voice like he couldn't figure out what he did wrong. Anger suddenly rose up in me.

"You know exactly what you did," I snapped, suddenly standing. I looked at his face for the first time since he came and I could see both confusion and hurt there. My heart wanted to immediately regret snapping at him but my head wouldn't let me.

"No I don't," he snapped back as angry as I had been. Of course he wouldn't, now that I thought about it. He didn't know I had seen him. That I had seen _that_. He thought he had got off scotch free. But no, I did see. And that ruined everything.

"You idiot," I muttered, my voice quieter now. The sadness and the pain was making its way into my voice now even though I tried to hold it back. He was torn now between coming to me and staying where he was.

"Please just tell me what I did wrong," he pleaded, taking another step closer.

I took a deep breath, staring at the ground. I had to lick my lips but it was little help as my mouth seemed to have suddenly gone dry. But I had to try. He needed to know what had upset me. I didn't want to give him anything but I needed to give him this.

"Yesterday morning…" It hurt just to talk about it. I could feel the cracks in my heart already spreading. To keep myself together, I sat back down on the log. It was little relief. "Yesterday morning, I went by the clubhouse. To get my jacket. And you were there, on the pool table…" I couldn't finish, though I could feel a fresh wave of tears coming on. I couldn't even look at him.

The crunching of his footsteps came closer and he crouched down in front of me. I didn't want to look at him but he forced me to, holding his face between his hands.

"I know what you saw there and it's not what you think," he said, pronouncing each word carefully so I would understand even in my shut down mode. I attempted to shake my head, knowing he must have been lying but his hands stopped me from doing so. "Would I lie to you?" The words came out like he was reading my mind; or maybe those thoughts were plainly written on my face. I searched my memories as thoroughly as I could. Had Juice ever lied to me? I couldn't recall a time that he had, but that didn't mean he couldn't start.

He seemed to catch my hesitation so he tried again. "Would I still be alive if I had done that and woke up in the same room as your crazily overprotective brother and father?"

This statement had more weight than the other for some reason. My mind wasn't letting me trust Juice, not right now. Not after what I saw. But I could trust Jax and my dad. Both of them together even more so. My dad would have even had Tig staple Juice to the clubhouse ceiling if he had really been worried about that. I tried to recall that morning if though it really hurt, the cracks in my heart deepened at the attempt. My mind had been clearly focused on the pool table but had taken in wee bits of the rest of the room. And Jax and my dad were there as well.

I stood suddenly with enough strength to make Juice release me. I started running around the cabin, Juice getting up quickly and following me.

"Jax!" I screamed as loud as I could. I winced not only because my voice cracked but the effort had hurt my throat. Jax was in the cabin doorway before I could open it.

"What is it?" he asked, having heard the urgency in my voice. His eyes briefly flickered to Juice who stood a little ways behind me back to my face.

"Two nights ago, what was the club doing?" I asked. Almost in desperation, I grabbed ahold of Jax's cut. I didn't know if that was to show my urgency or because I needed the help to keep upright.

"We had a boxing tourney," he said, trying to recall all the nights events even though he probably had been drinking heavily. "And then we had that contest where…" Realization dawned on his face. I tugged on his cut.

"What?" I pleaded.

"The pool contest. That Juice won." I turned around to look at Juice. Whatever Jax was saying wasn't new to him as he didn't seem surprised my the words.

"Late at night, we had a pool contest to see who was the best," he said, holding my eyes with his gaze. "I managed to beat out those two girls for it." Traces of a sheepish grin appeared on his face. "I got excited. Really must have been all that beer. I got up on the table and celebrated by ripping my shirt off."

"Can't believe the lad even managed that," Chibs commented from somewhere inside. I couldn't see him past Jax but he must have been near the door. "He was wasted beyond belief. So were the ladies."

"It was really late at night so we must have just decided to sleep on the table." I stared blankly at Juice, as if I couldn't believe it. But there was something in his expression that said he was serious and that he wasn't lying to me.

I abruptly released Jax and went to Juice. I buried myself against him as his arms wrapped around me tight. I sobbed against him and I couldn't believe I was crying again. Moreso, I couldn't believe what an idiot I was. Maybe if I had gone to Jax or Chibs or someone else sooner who had been there that night, this wouldn't have happened.

"I'm sorry," I whispered against Juice's neck. I could just see Jax and Chibs try to inconspicuous as they passed us and got to their bikes. They went ignored as they drove off.

"No, I'm sorry," he whispered back, burying his face against my hair. "I'm an idiot for doing that."

"Yes you are," I replied before hiccupping. I didn't want to say out loud how much our idiocy must match. But that didn't matter right now. I hadn't been able to hold him in nearly two days. As stupid as the whole situation looked right now, I couldn't let go how foolish I must have looked and act. I was going to make it up to him, any way I could.

**END**


	6. Health and Healing

**A/N:** Wow, this one took me a while to do. Oopsies. Sorry about that. I'm really easily distracted and I've been working on some other stuff away from the computer for the past couple of weeks. But here's one so you all know I haven't forgotten about this. It's a little on the short side because I've been feeling lazy lately, what with the weather being so nice and all these days. This one actually takes place after the episode "Gilead" in season 2. I watched it not too long ago so I was kind of inspired so I could actually update. Thanks for waiting. On another note, I have somewhat of an idea for an actual SoA fic that isn't just a bunch of one-shots. If I figure it out better, maybe I'll work on that as well. Gotta get back in my writing groove.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own SoA. I do own the characters not actually from the show. This son is I'm Yours by Jason Mraz.

* * *

**SONS OF ANARCHY**

**100 theme challenge**

**54. Health and Healing**

_Well you done done me and you bet I felt it_  
_I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted_  
_I fell right through the cracks_  
_Now I'm trying to get back_  
_Before the cool done run out_  
_I'll be giving it my bestest_  
_And nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention_  
_I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some_

_- "I'm Yours", Jason Mraz_

Frowning, I stared at the closed door in front of me. I was in the hospital and it was rather early in the morning. Tara stood next to me, staring into the small rectangular window at the room's occupant. I had insisted on coming here hours ago but now I almost felt like I didn't want to go in. I really didn't want to see him like that but I knew I had to. I needed to.

I remember the night before all too clearly. I was in the garage's office with Mom and Tara. Though I personally wasn't talking, I was following their conversation quite closely. When the sound of the club's van driving up approached, all three of us had jumped up and went outside. It was odd, seeing how solemn they all were as they climbed out without even acknowledging us. Worry hit me as I watched Jax pass us to the garage while the others had gone into the clubhouse. I could just feel the same worry radiating off of Mom and Tara. We all knew this meant something went down while they were in jail – something that wasn't good at all. It took me a moment before the panic started setting in. Juice wasn't with the others. I hadn't seen him go into the clubhouse with the others. No one had told us that anything that happened; no one had bothered to call. I had just assumed that they would all be coming home right away. It never occurred to me that if some bad shit happened in the jail, it could very well happen to him.

Any consolation that the others could give me wasn't enough. I had already entered my over-the-top panic mode and started hyperventilating. It took a lot of shaking from Tara as well as my own mother smacking me across the back of the head to make me calm down enough to breathe. Mom had returned to the garage to try and see what had happened from Jax. Tara knew better than to try and help her double team him; that would just make it worse. I opted for sitting on the ground next to the clubhouse door. It was almost midnight when Bobby came out. I stared up at him like I was slightly crazed before he pulled me to my feet and told me what exactly had happened.

This merely caused me to go back to Tara in a frenzied panic about going to the hospital. Again, she managed to shake me into sanity before putting me in the passenger seat of her car. She went to tell Mom that we were going before driving me to the hospital.

Once in the hospital, my resolve had slightly … well, dissolved. I remembered seeing the others in the hospital before and I didn't like it. But I decided to go see Chibs just to delay it. Tara saw no point in this but she let it happened. I spent a couple of hours in Chibs' hospital room, both talking to him and watching him sleep. Eventually, I left the poor man alone and position myself in front of Juice's door.

"You can go in," Tara said. She put her hand on the small of my back and gave me a slight push. I nearly stumbled into the door. I gave her the slightest of glares before opening the door and stepping inside.

I hadn't made any real noise so he didn't notice me. Really, he looked like he was sleeping. I watched him for a while, aware of Tara watching me from behind. After I felt like I stood there long enough, I decided to speak.

"Juice?" I called as softly as I could. Juice flinched as he jerked up, his eyes shooting open. They searched the room briefly before landing on me. Once his brain registered me, he relaxed again, tired smile appearing on his face.

"Hey, baby." His voice was as tired as he looked. I didn't like that. I walked over to his bed and settled on its edge, taking his hand up and twisting my fingers with his.

"Are you okay?" I asked urgently, searching his face in case he lied to me. He nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I'm all right." He seemed to watch me carefully, already well tuned into my occasional panic attacks. "Just a couple of stab wounds." I grumbled incoherently under my breath after that, which seemed to amuse him. I heard a throat clearing from the doorway and glanced up to look at Tara.

"I'll go so you two can be alone," she said, her hand already poised to close the door behind me. My thoughts flew my mind quickly as I chewed my bottom lip.

"Tara," I said, halting her from leaving. She gave me a quizzical look. "Make sure no one comes in for a while, 'kay?" She rolled her eyes as she caught the sudden grin that appeared on Juice's face.

"You know, it's probably not a good thing to make his heart rate jump," she commented before shutting the door. I knew her well enough at this point that she'd do what I asked of her, though I was going to have to cover my own shit later.

I turned to looked back at Juice and the grin hadn't disappeared.

"So… Does Tara mean you're going to give me a heart attack or are we doing something more fun?"

"I'm giving you a heart attack," I responded instantly, my voice entirely serious.

"Man… I nearly get killed in prison only to have my girl want me to die anyways."

"Sad life, ain't it?" I patted the back of his hand sympathetically. My panic had since left me, seeing him in such high spirits even though I had come calling so late at night. Or early in the morning. Whichever it was now.

I let him moped for a few seconds before I leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "I was just kidding. By the way."

"I sure hoped you were. Otherwise, you're way more morbid than I thought you were." That cheesy grin returned to his face, causing me to smile as well.

"'Way more morbid'? As in, you all ready thought I was morbid?" I asked, sounding slightly upset. He mimicked what I did earlier, patting my hand in sympathy.

"I know your parents," he answered gravely. This brought in a fit of giggles from me, which he seemed to approve of.

"Anyways, we're wasting time." I moved myself more onto his bed and pressed my lips gently to his.

He responded instantly, his hands moving up to pull me more onto him. I pulled back slightly, which caused him to growl.

"We can't do anything that'll hurt your back," I insisted. He stared at me for a moment before sighing.

"Yeah, I know."

"Good boy," I whispered before leaning forward and pressing my lips to his neck. His arms drew around me, more gently this time, so I didn't have my full weight on top of him.

His hands drifted under my jacket and shirt as I worked his hospital blanket down from between us. He helped me kick it down out of the way until we had it bunched at the foot of the bed. His hands roamed my body as I gave him a quick kiss before sitting up, straddling his waist.

"Sure you can handle this while you're injured?" I asked with a slight grin, letting my jacket slide off and onto the floor. He returned my grin as he gripped my hips.

"I'm fine," he insisted. "Really." His hands seemed to almost absently go to the front of my pants, but I knew what he wanted. The poor baby had been through hell in the past few hours. Who was I to deny him some fun?

* * *

Someone nudging me caused me to jerk awake and look sleepily around. I was still in Juice's hospital room, lying on the couch as sunlight quickly started blinding me through the window. It was late morning by now. After we had finished, I let him get some sleep, knowing he not only needed him but I had actually woken him up from it late at night. He had told me he didn't want me to leave so I had decided to crash on the hard sofa, my pants still undone and my shirt looking awry.

"Tara?" I asked, sounding groggy. Tara stood over me, her arms crossed and a look of disapproval on her face. "…What?"

"You've been here a very long time," she commented offhandedly. I shrugged as I sat up and winced slightly. The damn couch was harder than I thought; my back ached like hell.

"Yeah, so…?"

Tara's eyes shifted quickly to the machine that monitored Juice's heart.

"There's a _huge_ spike on that thing," she stated. I couldn't help it. I blushed slightly over that, which actually seemed to amuse her. "It's cute how the two of you seem to forget that."

"Yeah, yeah…" I stood up and stretched before looking over at Juice. He was fast asleep, snoring quietly. This brought a smile to my face. He just looked so peaceful while he slept, even if he did snore. I looked back at Tara. "Any news with the club?" She seemed to think it over as she stared at the floor before shrugging.

"To be honest, I really don't know," she answered. I sighed. Something shit-filled had gone down while they were locked up. And it looked like it wasn't going away anytime soon.

"Anyways, Gemma told me to come get you before another doctor sees that." She jerked her head towards the machine and my blush returned. "You'll be in for it if they catch you still here."

"All right, all right, I'm leaving." I retrieved my jacket from the floor, sliding it on as I watched Juice sleep. Tara had left while I picked up my purse, slinging it on my shoulder. I bent down and kissed his cheek gently.

"Bye, babe," he murmured, sleepily. I smiled slightly, amused and happy that he was able to sense me so well, even when he was supposed to be sleeping.

"Bye," I whispered back. I left, planning on seeing Chibs before I went home. I hoped Juice was going to get better and out of here sometime soon.

* * *

**END**


	7. Memories

**A/N:** I'm alive! Huzzah! I bet everyone thought I forgot about this, but fear not, I haven't. I just been really busy so I haven't updated in a while. I was bumming around today so I read the other chapters (which proved I'm a horrible proof-reader, that's for sure) and decided to write a short one to get the ideas flowing again. Besides, season 3 will one day be upon us and I'm excited for it. Really, this chapter has no point to it and it's on the really short side but it's getting me back into the groove of writing this.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sons of Anarchy, just Kelly. And the song this time is The Call by Regina Spektor, which I know due to the Chronicles of Narnia. Thank you, Prince Caspian.

* * *

**SONS OF ANARCHY**

**100 theme challenge**

**77. Memories**

_Pick a star on the dark horizon_  
_And follow the light_  
_You'll come back when it's over_  
_No need to say goodbye_

_- "The Call", Regina Spektor_

I thundered down the stairs, hoping I didn't drop the old box I clutched in my hands. Tig waited at the bottom of the staircase, smoking. I shoved the box into his hands.

"Here ya go," I said, cheerfully. He grumbled before heading into the living room with it. I ran back up the stairs to wait at the bottom of the ladder to my parents' attic.

Yesterday, Mom had come into the clubhouse and airily told everyone that she wanted the attic cleaned out. So, on this fine Saturday morning, I found myself helping out without a choice. Half-Sack and Opie were up in the attic, grabbing boxes and passing them down to me. I ran them down the hall and stairs to Tig who carried them into the living room where Mom and Tara rooted through them. Anything Mom decided she didn't want was left by the back door for Jax and Chibs to take out to the large dumpster down the street. Everything else was left in a ever-growing pile for us to move back into the attic that Juice tried to keep from falling over.

Somehow, my dad had wiggled out of this; curse him. Bobby had called in sick even though he was perfectly fine the other day. And Piney had mysteriously disappeared to the cabin like he did every now and then.

Half-Sack appeared in the opening and carefully lowered a box to me. He made sure I had a good grip on it before letting go and disappearing again. I jogged down the hallway and down the stairs, but unlike my previous trips, Tig wasn't here. I stared blankly at the spot on the wall he had spent most of his time leaning against as if he'd magically appear if I stared hard enough. But he didn't.

Tig's voice drifted in from the living room and I sighed, stuffing the box under one arm and going in. He leaned over the back of the couch Mom and Tara sat on, looking at something. I deposited my box on the floor with the others and came to stand beside him.

"Ahem."

He looked at me, completely unapologetic. "Sorry."

I leaned against the couch to see what had caught his attention. In my mom's hands was an old photo album. The dates scribbled in the side were from before I was born but I was able to recognize the people in the pictures.

"Is that Jax?" I asked with a grin, leaning forward and pointing at the picture in question. My mom grinned as well. It was Jax as a baby.

"Yeah, it is," she answered even though I already figured that answer out on my own.

"He was so cute. What happened to him?"

Something flew out from the kitchen and nailed me in the knee, almost knocking me down. I scowled at that direction, Jax came in, smirking, with Chibs close behind. The thing he had thrown at me was an old soccer ball.

"I bet you regret those five years of soccer as a kid, huh?" he commented. I eyed the old soccer ball suspiciously. That must have been my soccer ball from when I was a kid; I used to play on an elementary soccer team. Then I decided I wasn't much of one for sports and quit when I was eleven.

"I hope your throwing that out," I said to my mom, who nodded. She was more preoccupied with the album.

"You guys can take a break, I guess," Tara said. She leaned towards Mom as she looked at the photos as well. Tig made a noise of approval before going upstairs to tell Half-Sack and Opie. Jax, Chibs and Juice disappeared into the kitchen for some lunch as I slid over the top of the couch to sit on my mother's other side.

More albums were piled up on the table. I took the one off the top of the pile and started flipping through it as the guys made a lot of noise coming down the stairs. This one was more recent, from after I was already born. I couldn't help by smile at my own baby pictures.

"Jax was protective of you even as a baby." Mom had put her album on the table with the rest and was now paying attention to me. She tugged the album gently out of my hands so she could hold it and Tara could also see. We leaned in on either side of her. I rested my head on her shoulder as she flipped.

"Yeah. Stupid bugger wouldn't leave me alone." I remembered all the things Dad used to say about Jax always poking at me when I was little.

"Yeah. You bit him once." Mom chuckled as she remembered the incident. I couldn't remember it but it caused me to grin. Tara even let out a laugh, just picturing it.

"Is that you?"

All three of us looked up to see the guys had now come in and looked from over the couch.

"Yes," I said in answer to Opie's question.

"You were so cute, whatever happened?"

The guys laughed and I had the urge to grab that damn soccer ball and throw it as hard as I could at Opie's head. If he was lucky, his protective beard shield would protect him.

"Go back to work," Mom ordered. "Juice take Kelly's place. She's staying with us now." They grumbled in protest at having such a short break but did as they were told. Like any of them really argued with their president's queen. I smiled in triumph before resting back against Mom.

"You guys have a lot of photo albums," Tara commented as Mom put the one she held back on the table and picked up a new one.

"What can I say? I was a little camera happy around my babies," Mom answered as she took the new one and opened it.

This one was the most recent of the ones we had looked at since I was now a teenager in the photos. I smiled as we flipped through them, Mom explaining a couple of Tara as we went along. I started laughing at one particular photo that was taken when I was sixteen. I had to do a science project and being rather lazy when it came to school work, I stuck with the usual volcano. But I had decided it just couldn't be any volcano; it had to be Mount Vesuvius erupting all over Pompeii. This turned out to be more work and enough complaining at my parents and a refusal to do something different had caused Dad to order Jax and Opie to help me. My project had turned out fairly good, especially for a stereotypical science project, and my teacher put it in the science fair. My parents had come to see since I had talked so much about it and thus this picture of my science teacher covered in fake lava and ashes was born. Mount Vesuvius had decided to be a bitch that day and didn't work right, but Mom had thought it made a good photo op.

Many of the next pages had photos around the clubhouse of nothing in particular. That was probably me being bored and Mom got them developed anyway. A couple of pages had photos of the guys working in the garage. There were pictures of one of Bobby's weddings and the last few pages had photos of my graduation.

"Are we done yet?"

All three of us looked up to see Tig standing there, looking rather unimpressed.

"Yeah. Just take this shit out to the dump," Mom said, standing up and indicating the pile of stuff she meant to throw out. "The stuff we haven't gone through can stay here. And take the rest back up to the attic."

Tig groaned but nodded at the idea of some more work. Mom and Tara went to organizing the albums as I got up and grabbed two boxes, ready to help move them back up to the attic.

Unfortunately, I picked to bad boxes to carry. Not only did they start getting heavy as I reached the top of the stairs but they were high enough I couldn't see pass them. I almost stumbled into the wall when someone took the boxes out of my hands.

"Hey!" I protested, as if I wasn't relieved. Juice raised an eyebrow at me though a smile plastered his face as he took them to the attic and Half-Sack pulled them up.

"You're in the way." Tig had come up behind me with his arms burdened with three boxes. He pushed me to the side so I hit the wall, but not hard enough for it to hurt. I scowled at his back. Jax and Chibs came upstairs then, carrying boxes as well now that they were done moving junk out. It looked like the guys were working double time so they could finish and get the hell out of there.

"You're still in the way," Tig said to me as he passed by. I stucked my tongue out at him but he was probably right. With all these big, strapping men doing the heavy lifting, a weak little girl like me would just slow down progress. Looked like it was time for lunch.

I headed downstairs and into the kitchen. Mom and Tara were still in the living room but talking now that they were done working. I began making myself a sandwich as the guys made a few more trips the living room to move boxes. I sat myself at the dining room table and watched them work. Once the boxes were all back in the attic, Tig, Chibs and Half-Sack rushed out the front door without goodbyes. That made me laugh inwardly; they were afraid of being put to more work by my mother.

Opie stopped to say bye to me and, evilly, stole half my sandwich. He disappeared out the door to wait for Jax before I could protest. Jax went into the living room to speak with Mom and Tara, Juice settled down into a chair next to me.

"You wanna do something?" he asked boredly as he picked at the edge of a place mat. I looked sidelong at him but something in the living room caught my attention. My old soccer ball still sat where it had rolled away from me; apparently Jax and Chibs had forgot to throw it out.

"You wanna play some one-on-one soccer?" I asked. He gave me a strange look. I grinned at him innocently. "You beat me, I'll blow you."

A grin broke out on his face. "Deal." I knew that would get him to do it. I didn't know how good he was at the sport but a little of my elementary training still stuck in my mind. I supposed I was good enough to beat him, though I may had to distract him with some flashing if he ever got a break away on me.

I stood up, taking my plate to the sink before going into the living room and picking the ball up. Juice followed me in. Jax stopped mid conversation once he saw it.

"Shit. I forgot that."

"Nah, don't worry about it," I said, waving away his comment. "I found a use for it." I went for the door, tossing it repeatedly in the air as I did so. Juice followed behind me closely, whistling.

I turned, pushing the door open with my back.

"I hope you're ready to get your ass beat," I said, smirking. He returned my smirk.

"I hope you enjoy time on your knees," was his retort.

Yeah, he was good at comebacks. Now I had to make him eat those words.

* * *

**END**


	8. Complicated

**A/N:** I managed to pull myself away from Dragon Age Origins long enough to write something. It's a miracle. There's the end of the soccer game from the previous story here. Just cause I can. This is another two-parter, as the next one directly relates. The first song, sadly, that I thought about with the topic was Complicated by Avril Lavigne. So, I just rolled with that cause I was too lazy to think of anything else to fit.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sons of Anarchy, just the extra characters I added. And the song belongs to Avril and whoever her management/etc is.

* * *

**SONS OF ANARCHY**

**100 theme challenge**

**2. Complicated**

_Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?_  
_I see the way you're actin' like you're somebody else_  
_Gets me frustrated_  
_Life's like this, you_  
_You fall and you crawl and you break_  
_And you take what you get, and you turn it into_  
_Honestly, you promised me_  
_I'm never gonna find you fake it_

_- "Complicated", Avril Lavigne_

"NO! I OBJECT!"

That was me, yelling across the soccer field as the ball slowly and surely rolled into my open net. Juice wasn't that far from me, a smirk plastered clearly on his face. He had merely booted the ball from where he stood and it had rolled swiftly down the field before coming to a nice stop in my net. He turned to look at me, the smirk still present.

"You're cheated," I accused, clearly in denial.

"And how exactly did I cheat?" he asked, sounding more amused than offended over my reaction.

"I don't know. But you did. Somehow."

"I think you're just mad that my Puerto Rican flare is killin' you here."

I pouted, completely unimpressed that any soccer training I had as a child just got brutally raped by a friggin' biker.

We had been out here in the local soccer field for just over two hours now, playing a one-on-one soccer game that really took longer than I expected it to. That was probably due to both of us insisting on more go each time it seemed like the other would win. This caused me to sweat under the hot afternoon sun and I found for the umpteenth time I was lifting the bottom of my shirt up to wipe sweat off my face. I would have been annoyed that the cursed sun if it wasn't for the fact Juice had gotten hot a while ago and took his cut and shirt off. I owed that distraction as the reason I truly started sucking after a while.

Juice jogged out across the field to fetch the ball out of the net. He carried it back to the center of the field.

"We going again?" he asked, though I could tell by the tone of his face he knew he already one.

"Yes," I insisted, still in denial. I wasn't going to roll over and let him win. I walked over to the center of the field to stand across from him. He had set the ball dead center on the fading line. We had taken to switching off who got to start with the ball and he had gotten it last time. Juice backed up ten large steps and stood there watching me. I studied the ball before me, musing slightly in way of strategy. I remembered the terms I had given him in my parents' house earlier that day. That was probably why he was actually trying; normally he'd probably go easy and let me win.

"I'm a retard," I grumbled to myself.

"You say something?" he called over to me. I looked up at him and stuck my tongue out. He merely smiled at my childish nature. While I could see glistens of sweat on him, he didn't look tired after two hours of this bull. I felt like caving and calling a forfeit but I didn't want him to have that satisfaction. No, the competitor in me didn't want that.

I backed up slightly and in what was probably desperation, gave the ball that biggest boot I could muster. As it went sailing in the air towards his goal, I started sprinting after it for all I was worth. This move must have caught Juice by surprise because I managed to pass him before he thought about going after me. I reached the ball just as it hit the ground and gave it another larger – yet lesser – boot towards the net. I paused, watching it.

And it sailed right over top of the net, just missing the goal.

I visibly slumped as Juice came up beside him. He had suddenly burst out laughing that my attempt had failed so miserably. Now I was even more sweaty and tired.

"Okay, I'm done now," I said, defeated. Juice draped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his bare chest.

"It's okay," he said, sympathetically. He used his other hand to pat my back. "You just don't have my Puerto Rican flare." I swatted at him for saying that a second time, which was a little difficult due to us being so close together.

"Yeah, yeah. Go get my ball." He released me to fetch my soccer ball like I asked. I began making my way across the field to the road, stopping only to pick up Juice's shirt and cut. I waited for him to catch up, leaning against his bike. He dropped the ball to the ground, putting his foot on it to keep from rolling away as he took his shirt from me and put it on. He did the same with his cut.

"I'm hungry," I announced once he was – sadly – done redressing. He nodded since that workout probably got him hungry as well.

We had just reached the Jensens' diner when Juice's cell started ringing. I waited by the door, soccer ball clutched in my hands, the sun beating down on me, as he answered it. As he put it away, he gave me an apologetic look. I sighed, knowing full well what that meant.

"That was your dad," he began.

"Yeah, club business, I know."

"Sorry. I'll come pick you up when I'm done."

I gave him a brief smile before going into the diner. I could still sense he watched me for a bit through the front window before driving off. I settled down at the counter, putting the soccer ball on the floor beside me.

"Hey, monkey." Alice came out from the back and sat down next to me. I raised an eyebrow at her. She noticed. "What?"

"Why are you always here? Don't you have a hobby?" I asked. Alice shrugged as Peyton gave us each a bottle of pepsi from behind the counter.

I sat with Alice for most of the afternoon, talking with her and harassing Peyton as the poor girl tried to work. Out of the three of us, Peyton was the most easy to embarrass, and as her friends, we had to take that opportunity as often as we could. Now I understand why Alice was here so often. Annoyed Peyton was entertaining.

Sometime around five o'clock someone came in.

"Welco- Holy shit." Peyton's greeting from where she was wiping a table got cut off. Alice and I weren't paying much attention.

"It's probably, like, John Travolta or something," Alice muttered.

"No, it's Bono," I argued. We both snickered.

"Hey, Peyton."

I paused, that voice being really familiar but my brain couldn't place it. Alice had the same reaction.

"Hey, Tyler."

That was it. I spun around in my seat as Alice did the same. There he stood before us. Tyler Kirkland in all his hot glory. He looked just like he did when I last saw him three years ago, only older. He was a member of the football back when I was in high school. Vice president of our school council. And my ex-boyfriend. We had broken up on mutual terms, due to him going off to university after high school while I stayed here in Charming.

He seemed to notice us then and smiled.

"Hey Alice. Kelly." His eyes seemed to linger on me and I couldn't help it. I blushed.

"Hey Tyler," Alice said. She elbowed me and I repeated what she said.

"I need the bathroom," Peyton announced abruptly. She looked in our direction and headed to the back for the staff's bathroom. Alice grabbed onto my arm and dragged me with her.

"Okay, what's this about?" I asked dumbly. It was strange seeing Tyler, admittedly. We had dated for nearly three years.

"What was that?" Peyton asked, waving her hand in the general direction at the door. I stared blankly at her, not knowing what was going on.

"Pey, it was just her turning into gloo in front of the guy she used to make out with behind the gym," Alice said, as nonchalant as ever. I turned ot stare at her, making an 'o' with my mouth. Yeah, that probably looked bad.

"You don't still like him, do you?" Peyton asked, worried. I thought it over deeply. No, I really didn't. Yeah, it was weird seeing him again after all that time we spent together and obviously he was attractive, but I didn't feel any emotion like that for him. Just that typical thrill of seeing a friend you haven't seen in a while. No, I only felt what way about one guy.

"Of course not," Alice retorted, answering for me. I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. She gave me her usual deadpan smile. "Kel was a major cockblock with him. There was a reason for that." I rolled my eyes. Of course, she'd come up with a reason like that. I was going to argue, but Peyton interrupted.

"That makes sense," she stated. I turned to stare at her instead. She grinned. "I mean, you put out for Juice right away."

"Lalala, I'm not listening anymore," I said in a singsong as I covered my ears with my hands. I walked out of the washroom, both following me. Tyler was sitting at the counter. Just to prove my point, I sat next to him. He turned to acknowledge, that easy smile still on his face.

"You three still always go to the bathroom together?" he asked. Alice sat down on the stool on my other side.

"You know it," she commented before I could say anything. I jerked an elbow back, catching her in the arm. She grumbled her protests.

As Peyton got back to work, I engaged Tyler in friendly conversation while Alice commented every now and then. It was as innocent as a conversation could be really. We merely spoke of what we've been doing recently; obviously his university stories were much more interesting than anything that I could tell him about Charming. Most of the interesting points of my life I couldn't really discuss with people. But he had just finished his current course and was planning on taking a year off to help his parents out here in Charming. Alice made rather amused noises about this that required me secretly kicking her. She was obviously just being a pest.

It was almost seven when I finally looked at my watch.

"Shit. It's getting late," I muttered. Alice gave me a strange look, knowing very well seven wasn't late. "I mean, we've been here for a while. I need to get going."

I got off the stool, saying goodbyes to the other three and went to the front window carrying my soccer ball. Juice wasn't there yet, obviously, otherwise he would have come in. Tyler came up behind me.

"You need a ride?" he asked me, noting that I hadn't left yet. I chewed on my bottom lip, thinking it over. If Juice wasn't here yet, it was probably important club business and he couldn't get away. It was pointless to just wait around here for Peyton to finish work or for Alice to finally drag herself home.

"Yeah, sure," I answered. I'd call Juice once I got home to tell him I didn't need the ride. He'd probably come over anyway, for his 'prize' from our soccer game.

Tyler and I stepped outside onto the sidewalk. I scanned the cars in the parking lot, my eyes easily landing on the old blue truck. I looked at him with an amused smile. He grinned sheepishly. It was the same truck he drove in high school.

"Can't get a new one?" I asked, still amused.

"Hey, the old gal has history," he argued. He smirked. "As I'm sure you're aware of."

"Are you talking about all the times we made out in there?" I asked as we walked towards it.

"Of course."

I gave an exaggerated sigh as I opened the passenger's door. Just then, I heard the sounds of motorcycles. I paused looking down the road. Sure enough, four were making their way towards us.

"The Sons, huh?" I heard Tyler murmur on the other side of the truck. As they rolled into the parking lot, I immediately slammed the door shut. Tyler walked out from around the truck to stand near me. The four Sons slowly themselves to a stop. Three of them took their time getting cutting their engines and taking their helmets off; these were Jax, Opie and Chibs. The fourth made more of a hurry. It was Juice. He strolled towards us with an unamused look on his face. I couldn't help but wince. I knew this must not have looked good.

"Who's this?" Juice asked suspiciously as he stopped next to us. In what felt like a possessive move, he snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me against him. I didn't object; that would have looked bad.

"Uh, Juice, this is Tyler. Tyler, Juice." I made some weak attempt of an introduction. It was obvious the two men were sizing each other up. I inwardly groaned. There was going to be a bout of testerone, wasn't there?

"Hey, Tyler," Jax greeted as he came over. He and Tyler shook hands. They got along fairly well when the two of us were dating, which was probably why there wasn't any real animosity there. But there was something about Jax that did say he was suspicious of Tyler, though maybe not as much as Juice.

"Jax," Tyler said in way of greeting. He nodded to Opie and Chibs, who he didn't know but had an idea who they were. Both nodded back.

"Where you two going?" Jax asked, eying the truck.

"I was gonna take Kel home," Tyler answered, his eyes turning to linger on me. I felt Juice's arm tightened around me.

"Thanks, but don't bother," Juice responded. "I'll take her home."

"Yeah, thanks, Ty," I said, trying to keep things civil. I looked up into Juice's face. "I thought maybe something important came up so I needed a way home."

"I said I'd take you so I'm gonna take you." I felt a little stunned at his forceful reply but didn't argue. He felt that I wasn't going to say anything after that, so he tugged me. "Let's go."

"Bye, Ty," I called over my shoulder as I was pulled towards Juice's bike.

"Seeya, Kel," he called back before getting into his truck. Jax, Chibs and Opie remained where they were until Tyler drove off. Juice didn't seem to want to stay still. He had handed me his extra helmet and was already starting his engine before I managed to get it on my head.

The ride to my house was a quiet one. Halfway there, Jax, Chibs and Opie turned down another road to go elsewhere, which meant I had to go through a really awkward conversation with no back-up. I cursed all three silently as we pulled up into my driveway.

We went into my house. I could sense the frustration the entire ride home and knew it was going to spill over any minute. Juice paced in my living room for a couple minutes, obviously trying to get his thoughts together. I merely lounged on the couch, watching. My brain worked a mile a minute, trying to figure out how to answer him. Eventually, he stopped and just looked at me.

"Who is he?" he demanded, eyebrows furrowing in his frustration.

"Who? Tyler?" I asked, trying to delay the explosion he might have. I couldn't see why it would really matter. Yes, we had broken up on mutual terms and I didn't hate his guts like most girls with their exes. But I knew my feelings for him were already wavering while we were still dating, which was why breaking up with him wasn't hard for me. That was because Juice had come into the picture. I had developed a crush on him and suddenly Tyler didn't seem as important. But was there really a way to explain that?

"Yes, him." There was annoyance in Juice's voice now, like he knew what I was avoiding. "_Tyler_." He said the name with such venom. I didn't know it was possible to hate someone you only met for a couple of minutes, but here it was.

"Ty and I went to high school together," I answered, trying to keep it simple. He could sense that wasn't everything; the look on his face said that plainly. I sighed and added, "And we dated."

"So, he's your ex-boyfriend." It wasn't a question but a statement.

"Yes." I didn't feel the need to really drag that out. "But there's nothing there anymore, Juice."

"Then what were you doing with him?" There was something in his voice that made him sound a little lost, mixed in with all that frustration and anger.

"He was giving me a ride home like we said in the parking lot. Really. I thought since it had been a long time, maybe something came up and you couldn't make it. I didn't feel like waiting around."

He seemed to mull it over as he watched me, seeing if I was lying. Once he was satisfied, he sighed.

"Sorry, I get so worked up," he murmured. I gave him my best smile.

"No worries, Juicy," I replied, trying to make things more cheery. I held my hand out to him and he took it, laying himself over me, propped up on his arms. "Besides, I was already having dirty dreams about you when I was still with him." This brought a grin to his face.

"Really?"

"Really."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, using that to pull his mouth down to mine. There wasn't any hesitation in that kiss, meaning Juice really wasn't angry with me. Enjoying his taste, even mixed with the taste of cigarettes as it was, I let my hands trail down his body, briefly gripping his cut. I could see why croweaters wanted this so badly, though they went about the stupidest way of getting it. What this cut could do for you, as long as the man wearing it wanted you, was nearly endless.

Juice pulled away slightly, letting his forehead rest against mine. It was a little relieving as I really needed the breather.

"I want my soccer prize," he whispered, a smirk on his face. I could help but smirk back. I tugged on the back of his cut and he read this properly as a signal to get off. Once we both stood, I stuck my finger into his belt and used it to pull him after me, heading towards the stairs.

"Come on, boy, let's go play."

* * *

**END**


	9. Rivalry

**A/N:** I'm getting distracted from this every now and then to write Smokin' Aces fanfiction. But, I'm probably not going to post that up here because the Smokin' Aces section is pretty dead. But if anyone's actually interested in reading it, give me a shout and I'll post it. If you haven't seen Smokin' Aces yet (yeah, it's not the greatest movie but I still enjoy it), Tommy Flanagan who plays Chibs is in it. Not for long, but he's still there. That's why I started watching it, but I stayed for The Tremor Brothers because they are epic sauce.

Anyways, thanks for the support guys. This is the second part of the two-parter.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own SoA. Just my OCs. Song is by Christina Aguilera. I actually quite enjoy this song.

* * *

**SONS OF ANARCHY**

**100 theme challenge**

**4. Rivalry**

_Ain't no other man, can stand up next to you_  
_Ain't no other man on the planet does what you do_  
_(what you do)_  
_You're the kinda guy, a girl finds in a blue moon_  
_You got soul, you got class_  
_You got style with your bad ass - oh yeah_  
_Ain't no other man its true - all right -_  
_Ain't no other man but you_

_- "Ain't No Other Man", Christina Aguilera_

Laying snug in my bed, staring at the ceiling, was definitely how I wanted to spend the morning. Unfortunately, my mother had other plans. My cellphone vibrated itself right off my night stand. I rolled over so I could lean over the side of my bed to stare at it. Juice made an annoyed groan behind me. I was hoping that the phone would stop but, alas, it did not. Once the noise started annoying me to no end, I picked it up and answered it.

"Hi, Mom," I grumbled into the phone.

"_Morning to you too, sweetheart_," came the sarcastic reply. Oh, how I love you, Mom. "_I need you to drag your ass down to the garage. Lowell's sick and we need an extra mechanic._"

I groaned my annoyance. Curse Dad and Jax for teaching me how to fix cars. Sure it was an useful skill to know, but I wasn't practically good at it nor did I enjoy doing it. I knew just enough to get by and I always brought my car into the garage anyways.

"Can't you make Jax do it?" I whined rather childishly. I heard a muffled laugh from behind me. Apparently, my childish-ness was amusing to Juice.

"_No. He has club business. As does your little boyfriend. So both of you need to get your butts down here, now_."

I frowned as the line went dead; she hung up on me. I dropped my cell onto my night stand and got out of bed.

"Where are you going?" Juice protested as he sat up. I looked at him as I gathered some clothes to put on.

"To work. And apparently, you have some too," I responded. He groaned and rolled out of bed.

Just under an hour later, we were at Teller-Morrow. Juice kissed me goodbye before jogging off to the clubhouse. My mom met me in the garage and threw my mechanic shirt at me. It pretty much looked brand new since I only worn it about once and I messed around, not really working. As I slid it on and tied my hair up, Mom leaned against a car, arms crossed.

"Heard about Tyler being back in town," she said in her most casual tone. I raised an eyebrow as I gathered what I needed to check out the car she was leaning against.

"Oh? Really? Jackson tell you that?" I asked, cursing my brother mentally.

"Yeah. Said he and Juice had a little run-in."

"I wouldn't call it a run-in. More as a slightly hostile conversation." I lifted the car hood as I examined it. Stupid Lowell, having to go and get sick. I really didn't want to be here doing this right now.

"You sure about that?" Mom came to stand next to me. "Old boyfriend. Could cause problems."

"I'm trying to work, Mom," I insisted, hoping she'd go away. "Because _you're_making me." She didn't respond to that, merely gave me one of those disapproving looks of hers before strolling into the office. I sighed with relief and got to work.

* * *

At noon, I leaned against the office wall, eating a pudding cup. It was the dessert Mom had brought me for lunch. I was licking my plastic spoon clean when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I tossed my trash into the can just inside the office door and answered my phone.

"Hello?"

"_Hey there good-looking_," Alice's drawl came from the other side. "_I thought it was your day off. Met your dad in town and he said you were working._"

"Yeah, well, Mom's making me fix cars." She laughed at that, knowing my general dislike for doing my own auto repair.

"_Well that blows. Anywho, come out and party with us tonight._"

"'Us'?" I asked. I waved to Tig as he came up the parking lot. He spotted me and smirked, strolling over. Before I could respond to Alice's answer of who exactly 'us' meant, Tig yanked the phone from my hand and put me in a headlock.

"Sorry, Kel can't go anywhere," he said into the phone. "She gotta go get her tubes tied. We don't want any more of these damn Teller-Morrows running around. Her brother's enough of a bitch already."

Again, I cursed my brother mentally, and whatever he did to annoy Tig today. I tried pushing against his arm to pop my head out but to no avail.

"Alexander Trager, release my daughter," my mother called from in the office. This worked as Tig's arm immediately let go and I stumbled backwards. He grinned as he lightly tossed my phone back to me.

"Tig's an ass," I immediately said into my phone. Alice laughed. She wasn't as scared of Tig, as most people were, but enough that she didn't talk to him, not in person. But over the phone it was fine. And what he said seemed to amuse her, much to my disapproval.

"_You coming or what?_" she asked once her laughter died.

"Yeah, yeah. Just come pick me up."

She agreed and we said our goodbyes before hanging up. Tig was still there, watching me. I eyed him suspiciously.

"What?" I asked, shoving my cell into my pocket.

"You gonna go party without me?" he asked with mock hurt. "You know how sad that makes me feel?"

"You have feelings?" I retored, inching my way back to the garage. He, of course, followed me.

"Of course I do. That cuts real deep, Kel. Besides, some of your friends are hot. I wouldn't mind pushin' up on that."

"You keep your dick away from my friends," I ordered, picking up a random screwdriver off a shelf and waving it at him as threateningly as I could. He gave me a look that said he wasn't going to listen to me before strolling out of the garage, whistling. I grumbled before getting back to work.

* * *

Nighttime rolled around. Alice picked me up promptly at nine and the two of us made our way to our favorite club. She told me how some of the guys we had graduated with wanted to partying it up now that Tyler was back in town and they had called Peyton and her up so we could all come. I wasn't particularly fond of Tyler's high school friends, they were mostly just jocks and I barely spent any time with them because of their general dislike of the MC. But Peyton and Alice were there so partying it up I shall.

The music was loud. The lights blinding. The drinks amazing. And people were grinding up on each other all over the place. I had merely said 'hi' to my former classmates before hitting the dancefloor with Alice. We were grinding up against each other like we were about to drop our clothes and have sex, but she was my best friend and generally that's how we danced.

Just before midnight, the two of us stopped and went to the bar. Some of the guys were there, drunk and acting stupid. I could see Peyton across the room, talking with some other girls. After downing my shot, I turned to Alice.

"I'm going outside," I shouted over the music. She had to turn her head so her ear faced me to hear. "I need fresh air."

"Alright," she shouted reply. I weaved my way around all the other people before stepping out the doorway.

The cold air hit me like a truck as I wandered along the club wall. Damn me for wearing a dress tonight.

"Hey." Tyler leaned against the wall, smoking. I stopped next to him, shivering. He offered his jacket to me." Take it before you freeze your ass off."

"Yessir," I answered, taking the jacket and pulling it on. The warm sleeves felt amazing. We stood in relative silence for a while, the only sounds coming from the open club door. Tyler dropped his cigarette to the ground and rubbed his foot over it before turning to me. I looked back at him. "What?"

"You look beautiful tonight," he commented, rather out of the blue. I gave him a strange look before looking ahead of me to the parking lot.

"Geez, thanks, I guess," I responded. He leaned back against the wall, closer than he had been before. I consciously noted this, rather not approving. To be safe, I inched away so we had space between us.

"That biker guy treating you right?"

"That biker guy's name is Juice and he treats me perfectly." I truly didn't like where this conversation was going. He pushed off from the wall so he was standing in front of me. I could smell the alcohol on his breath now. Goddamn, Tyler was drunk. And he wasn't a good drunk. Learned that at a party during senior year.

"You could do better than him," Tyler insisted. The way he spoke definitely said he was drunk. I firmly placed a hand on his chest, keeping him at a distance.

"Ty you're drunk and talking like a shithead," I said in the most motherly tone I could manage. He stare blankly at me, as if trying to comprehend what exactly I had just told him. The loud roar of motorcycle engines caught my attention and I looked past Tyler to the parking lot. Three motorcycles had just rolled into the parking lot. As they killed their engines, I could make out Tig, Half-Sack and Juice. I cursed under my breath. "That's just fucking great…"

Tyler looked over his shoulder then at the three just then. "Fuckin' bikers," he muttered before pulling away from them and striding purposefully towards them. Immediately, I smelled danger. He wasn't acting like himself and drunk people did stupid shit. I followed him.

"Hey, fuckin' wetback!" he shouted. That got Juice's attention. He came towards us flanked by Tig and Half-Sack.

"Stop, Tyler." I tried grabbing ahold of his arm to stop him but he shook me off. Before I could say anything else, he stopped walking, and I almost crashed into his back. He stood nearly nose to nose with Juice.

"What?" Juice asked, completely calm. I looked past him at Tig and Half-Sack, the former looking amused, the latter looking worried. Juice's eyes darted quickly to me. "What're doing with my old lady?"

"Your old lady?" Tyler said with a laugh. I really wanted to hit him then but I held that back and merely wandered over to stand closer to Tig and Half-Sack. "You say that like she's your property."

"No, I say that like she's my woman so fuck off," Juice retorted.

"She was my woman first." Oh no, he did not just say that. That seriously annoyed me. Next to me, Tig was trying to hold his laughter in. I knew what he wanted; he wanted a fight to break out.

"Really? Is that why she dropped your sorry ass and let me fuck her for days on end?"

There seemed to be a brief moment of limbo where they just stared at each other in complete silence. Then, Tyler threw a punch, hitting Juice squarely in the face and making him step back. I couldn't hold in my short, startled scream. There was only another brief pause before Juice was on him in a vengeance.

"JUICE, STOP," I screamed, about to lunge forward and try to get in the middle of it. Unfortunately for me, Tig grabbed me around the waist and held me against him. I beat on his arm. "TIG. What the fuck are you doing? Make them stop!"

"And ruin the best entertainment I had all night?" he responded with a howl of laughter. "I don't think so."

"Kip," I shouted to the prospect. He looked at my like a deer in headlights. "Stop them!"

"Don't do it, prospect," Tig warned, still laughing, though there was a warning tone in his voice. Half-Sack remained rooted to the spot, looking apologetic.

I stared at the fight that was taking place in front of me, shaking in Tig's arms. People began pouring out of the club to see what was going on. I was worried, seeing Juice fight. It wasn't so much him getting hurt, but that he was definitely going to get in trouble for this. I was more scared for Tyler's well-being. There was no way in hell he was going to beat Juice in a fight. Besides, he was drunk and probably had no idea what he was doing. Juice could very well kill him.

Some of Tyler's friends came out of the club and saw that he was in the fight. They immediately dropped their beers and came running to join the fight. Tig released me then, getting in on the action. With a pause of hesitation, Half-Sack did as well. I stood there, staring like an idiot, as I let Tyler's jacket fall to the ground. Peyton and Alice came to me to make sure I was all right.

"Someone called the cops," Alice said, tugging on my arm. I stared at her, knowing what was going to come of this. I was prepared to step into the brawl to stop it and deal with the consequences of getting knocked around when a bunch of police cars pulled up. Hale himself led the charge into the fight, ordering people away and breaking up the fight. In the end, they were all arrested and taken to the police station.

"Take me to the station, please," I said to Alice. She nodded and moments later, we were on our way to the station. Halfway there, Alice pulled over. I stared at her. "What are you doing? We have to go to the station now."

"What was that about?" she asked. She didn't have to say what she was talking about. I knew she meant that fight we just witnessed.

"Well, uh, Tyler was drunk," I answered, fiddling with the hem of my dress. "And started hitting on me, sort of. Then the guys showed up and Tyler hit Juice so Juice hit him back. And then that fucking shit storm happened."

"Man, Kelly, they were fighting over you?" There was actually amusement in her voice.

"Goddamn, Alice, it isn't funny," I snapped. "Can we get moving now?"

"Yeah, yeah."

We took longer to get there than we should have. I suspected Alice might have been driving slowly on purpose to prove the point I couldn't boss her around. That was just like her. I got out just before the car actually rolled to a stop. Opie and Bobby sat on there bikes outside the station. I swallowed a lump in my throat. Of course the guys would use their one phonecall to speak with the club. And they had already beaten me here. Dang, Alice, wasting time.

"You're in a load of shit," Bobby said as I passed him. I didn't answered as I strolled into the station.

Pandemonium seemed to be taking place. There were cops everywhere, as well as other people who I assumed were the families of Tyler's friends. My own mother was having a bitch fest with who looked like Tyler's mother. I ducked my head and made a beeline towards Chibs who was watching Dad argue with Unser.

"Hey, doll," Chibs greeted as I stopped next to him. He seemed calm compared to the rest of the room. "This your fault?" I nodded, feeling embarrassed. He chuckled. "It's fine. Clay's just pissed that there's delays with getting the guys out." I nodded again. Jax came out of the back with Hale. He scanned the room and spotted me. He came over and stood next to me, sandwiching me between him and Chibs.

"Well, Tig's enjoying tormenting those guys in there," he commented. I sighed. This could have not happened him Tig wasn't such a sadist. He was the one guy who could have stepped in and pulled them apart but no. He had to watch. Dad and Unser came over to us then.

"We need to get the rest of these idiots out of here first before you're all mobbed by screaming parents that the bikers are getting their way again," Unser said. He looked tired and annoyed. "Then you're free to take them."

"Yeah, thanks Unser," Dad said, patting him on the shoulder before letting him leave to calm some of the other people down.

"So?" Jax and Chibs asked at the same time.

"There's no charges being pressed," Dad said, running a hand over his face in exhaustion. "Tyler and Juice are both agreeing it was their fault and other dumb shit like that."

Feeling relieved that no charges were being pressed, I slumped into a nearby chair. Jax and Chibs wandered outside to smoke with Opie and Bobby. Dad sat down next to me. After some moments, Mom joined us.

"That woman makes me homicidal," she said, clearly unimpressed, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. She looked at me through the corner of her eye. "You and me need to have a chat, young lady."

"Yes, ma'am," I replied, cowed under my mother's presence as well as being tired. It was turning into a long night.

We remained sitting as the other people slowly but surely piled out of the station. Tyler left last with his parents. As he passed me, he murmured an "I'm sorry". I scowled and looked at the floor. I wasn't impressed with him right now. Now that the station was empty aside from us, Hale beckoned us over. We wandered over as he led us to the back.

"They're a little worse for wear, but fine," he said. He stopped us in front of one of the cells. Tig leaned against the bars while Juice and Half-Sack sat on the bench behind him.

"About time," Tig said, sounding annoyed. Hale rolled his eyes and let them out.

"Chibs drove the van out to drive you home," Dad said as the three got out. He cuffed the backs of both Juice and Half-Sack's heads. "Piney took the flatbed to go get your bikes. They'll be at the clubhouse." He strolled out, followed by Tig, the two talking. Juice stare at the ground as Half-Sack shifted nervously from foot to foot.

"Go on, boys," Mom ordered. "I have to take my daughter home." They nodded and left quickly after Dad and Tig. I followed my mom out. The guys were getting into the van and on their bikes but Mom led me to her car. She motioned for me to get in with her before taking off down the road.

We rode in utter silence before she pulled up in front of my house. "Sorry," I murmured once she cut the engine.

"What put Juice over that he did that damage to Tyler's face?" she asked instead of acknowledging my apology.

"Tyler punched him," I muttered.

"So that bloody nose and beautiful black eye Tyler has are deserving?" I looked at her face to see half a smirk on it. Of course, Mom approving of violence. Why was I surprised? "Looks like the boy's gonna cut it after all."

"Night, Mom," I said, suddenly feeling even more tired.

"Night, princess," she replied, smiling slightly. I got out of the car. She stayed put until I was safely inside.

I dropped onto my couch and screamed into a pillow. Today had started off well and slowly turned to crap. My life was a bitch. I lifted my head to take a deep breath before putting it back and screaming again. This scream was cut short though by a knock on my door. Feeling annoyed, I got up and shuffled to the front door. Not caring to check my peephole, I swung it open. Juice stood there and my annoyance washed away.

There was dying blood on his face as well as a bruise. Parts of his t-shirt were tore and he was overall dirty. The look on his face said that he was clearly unhappy. I reached out and gently brushed my fingertips over the bruise. He winced at my touch.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. He gave a brief half smile as I stepped aside and let him in. Without much talking, we went up the stairs. I changed out of my dress and into my pjs as he went into the bathroom to wash his face. I sat on my bed, staring at my floor. He came out, the bruise still visible but all blood washed away. He stood before me, looking down at me.

"I've upset you," he commented quietly. I looked up at him, shaking my head vigorously.

"No, Juice, you didn't," I insisted. "Ty did. Him and his stupid drunk ass." I took his hand and tugged him down towards the bed. He followed without resistance. "You were just being your usual, sweet, overprotective self."

I kissed him gently, being mindful of his bruise. Gently, he pushed me down against the mattress, pulling himself on top. He broke the kiss briefly to sit up and remove his cut, throwing it to the floor. I could help but smile slightly as he pulled his t-shirt over his head. I ran my hands up the hard plains of his stomach and chest, admiring him. He got off from above me so he could more easily pull my own shirt off over my head.

The cold air hit my upper body and I mentally cursed myself for the briefest of seconds for not turning up the heater. But, it was only for the brief second. Afterward, I didn't let it bother me. I was going to be warm enough in a moment.

* * *

**END**


	10. Breakfast

**Author's Note:** Wow, it's been a while since I updated this. But I've been in the mood to actually write stuff so here's the shortest one yet, haha. And it's number 10! Whoooo! I haven't watched any of season 3 yet because I don't have FX. But I have been spoiling myself by reading stuff online about it. And I don't like Ima. Apparently, Kelly doesn't either. So here's her being a little bratty bitch about it.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own SoA. Just Kelly. Song by Ke$ha.

* * *

**SONS OF ANARCHY**

**100 theme challenge**

**83. Breakfast**

_Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy (Hey, what up girl?)_  
_Put my glasses on, I'm out the door, I'm gonna hit this city_  
_Before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of jack_  
_Cuz when I leave for the night I ain't comin' back._

_- "Tik Tok", Ke$ha_

I hated waking up at the clubhouse. It took me forever to untangle myself from the blanket and find something I wouldn't find embarrassing to wear out where the others could see me. I shuffled down the hallway in my track pants and baggy SAMCRO t-shirt, my sneakers unlaced. My destination was the kitchen.

The main room was, once again, littered with passed out, half-naked people. As gross as that typically was, I was too tired to pay much attention to it. I merely walked into the kitchen and began my usual routine of making myself hot chocolate. I was a hot chocolate fanatic to the point I would drink it even on the hottest days of the summer. And I lived in California to top it off.

I had settled into a seat and was taking my first sip when _she_ walked in. I scowled at her back. Stupid pornstar. I was able to deal with her being around but I hated how she was suddenly supposed to be my best friend because she was fucking my older brother. That wasn't how it worked. I was supposed to actually like you for that. But nooooo. Ima thought because she was getting some from my brother, it meant I liked. I had nothing against pornstars, afterall, I managed a pretty decent friendship with Lyla. So there was definitely a double standard there, but Lyla hadn't broken up Jax's relationship with Tara. Perfectly pregnant Tara. Not that I was supposed to know that but I had overheard her telling my mother. Eavesdropping was informative.

Ima rooted through the fridge briefly before turning to look at me. I instantly put a half-assed smile on my face.

"What's for breakfast?" she asked, sounding actually civil.

"You a Son?" I asked back. She frowned slightly before shaking that bobble head of hers.

"No."

"Then I'm not making you breakfast," I answered, taking a sip of my hot chocolate. "Go find your own breakfast." Her frowned deepened.

"I'm a guest here. Your VP's guest," she said as she crossed the fridge and leaned against it with her arms crossed.

"Big whoop. That doesn't mean I have to make you breakfast." I set my hot chocolate on the table and started to make a big show about cooking breakfast for myself. She settled down on the other chair at the table, watching me unimpressed. Was I being a childish, little prick? Why yes. Yes I was.

Deciding on bacon and eggs, I fetched what I needed, knowing exactly where everything was. Unlike a certain someone. As my really large breakfast was cooking, I sat back in my chair, holding my mug in my hands as I stared at her. She stared back at me. I was trying my hardest to blink as little as possible in hopes of freaking her out.

"So… what are you doing today?" she asked, tracing a scratch on the wall with her finger. It was a nice attempt of conversing maturely. Unfortunately, she didn't realize I was going to use my age of twenty-one as an excuse to be immature.

"Not sleeping with other people's boyfriends," I answered without hesitation. Her eyes snapped up at me, clearly annoyed. Desired effect, accomplished.

"Why can't you accept that I'm with your brother now?" she snapped, all civility falling apart. I leaned across the table and gave her my most contrary smile, a trick I picked up off my mother.

"Because. I. Don't. Like. You." I accented each word clearly, like I was talking to a small child. Before she replied, I got up and checked on my bacon and eggs. Deciding they were done, I turned the stove off and deposited the food on a large plate before sitting back in place. I gave her my sweetest smile then - "Aah, breakfast. Delicious." – before I started digging in. She merely leaned back in her seat, arms crossed, as she glared at me.

Ima and I were enjoying a nice, quiet breakfast as Bobby came in, half asleep with an unlit cigarette hanging in his mouth. He stopped to stare sleepily at us both.

"What's for breakfast?" he asked, rubbing at one eye.

"I had bacon and eggs, what some?" I asked as I picked up my empty plate and mug, and put them in the sink.

"Yeah, sure." He shuffled out, probably to wait in the other room.

As I started Bobby's breakfast, I looked at Ima. Once I had her attention, I jerked my head towards the sink. "Wash the dishes."

"Are you kidding me?" she snapped, standing up. Ooh, she was mad now. "You insist you can't cook my breakfast, cook some for that fat guy, then _order_ me to wash _your_ dirty dishes! Who the fuck do you think you are?"

I quietly mulled my answer over for a minute before saying, "Bobby's not fat." She let out an annoyed, enrage noise before stomping up to me. She actually had the nerve to shove me up against the fridge. For all her skinny, twig limbs, she was actually kind of strong. I didn't let my surprise show on my face; I merely looked at her passively.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" she demanded. "Did your mother drop you on your head as a baby? Ever since I got with Jax, you've been acting like some damn fuckin' bitch who thinks she owns the world! You think you're better than me or something? Like hell you are!"

Ouch, the lady had some attack in her afterall. She had been taking my shit for the past few days, I thought she was just going to be a doormat. I had finally pushed her far enough that she actually pushed me. But if she thought that was going make me bow down to her, she had another thing coming. She must have forgotten who I was raised by.

"You forget who you are," I answered, as calmly as I could. "You're cheap sex for Jax. I, on the other hand, am the president's daughter, vice president's sister and a member's old lady. I think I have a little more authority than you do."

She took a step back from me, obviously still mad. "I'm gonna be Jax' old lady."

"Yeah, good luck with that," I retorted, leaning back against the fridge. I smiled sweetly at her. "Then we'll be sisters and you'll have to put up with me. Won't that be fun?"

Ima scowled at me. "You're gonna have to deal with it. I'm with Jax. You have to be nice to me."

"I don't have to be nice to sluts," I answered. The word was barely out of my mouth before Ima was in my face again. But it was slightly different this time. My cheek stung with slight pain. Damn bitch had slapped me. She actually slapped me.

"I'm older than you," she hissed. "I don't have to take your bullshit. Keep your mouth shut like a good _child_." I rubbed my sore cheek with my hand gingerly. Damn, she had a good smack. That really hurt.

I didn't mean to do it really. It was an anger reflex. The way she looked at me so smugly. I unconsciously slapped her back. There was a stunned look on her face after that.

"Kelly." The reproach came from the doorway. I looked past Ima to see Jax standing in the doorway, looking clearly unimpressed with the slap. He strolled into the kitchen and stopped between us. He scowled down at me. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Nothing," I answered, somewhat meekly. Both Mom and Dad had told me not to push Jax's buttons. He had a little shit on his plate these days so I was a little cowed under his presence. I merely turned around to see to Bobby's breakfast. I could hear both Ima and Jax leave the kitchen behind me, one settling down into a chair outside while the other went back down the hall to the dorms.

I got Bobby's breakfast onto a plate before bringing it out to him. He was a little more awake and gave a thanks before digging into it. Jax was the one who had come into this room. He sat on a couch near the pool table. He gave me a look of disapproval. I merely rolled my eyes and wandered down the hallway. Ima was in Jax's room with the door open. She looked up as I passed by; I couldn't help but mutter "Slut" under my breath as I passed.

* * *

**/end chapter**


	11. Summer Haze

**A/N:** My poor Kelly! I've been neglecting you! I'm sorry, baby! Anyways, here's a new chapter that randomly came into my head because it's cold and snowy where I am. So it's a warm chapter. With no point. Fwee.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own SoA. Just Kelly. Song is from the RHCP.

* * *

**SONS OF ANARCHY**

**100 theme challenge**

**77. Summer Haze**

_Come to decide that the things that I tried_  
_Were in my life just to get high on_  
_When I sit alone come get a little known_  
_But I need more than myself this time_

_Step from the road to the sea to the sky_  
_And I do believe it, we rely on_  
_When I lay it on come get to play it on_  
_All my life to sacrifice_

_- "Snow (Hey Oh)", Red Hot Chili Peppers_

It was one of those really hot, summer days. And I mean, it was hot for California. It really made me wish I was anywhere but here. Somehow in the morning, I had managed to peel my warm bed sheet off my sweating body and drag myself into the bathroom for a cold shower. There I had remained until I decided I had wasted enough water. I had thrown on an army green shirt, white tank-top and flats, and was about to drive over to Jax's place to mooch breakfast.

I stepped outside to find my mother just pulling up in front of my house. I scowled but immediately put on a smile as she got out and approached. I could see her eyebrow raise over her sunglasses as she pushed past me into my house.

You see, since my parents pretty much bought me the house, they still consider it officially theirs. It's only "unofficially" mine. My mother had decided that today made the perfect day to give my home an inspection and see if it was still habitable. She did this on rare occasions. I guess the memory of me half-assing my way through my chores as a teen were still fresh in her mind.

I followed her as she toured my house, inspecting with no expression on her face. She merely peered into my bedroom at the end of the upstairs hall before making her way back downstairs. Her look was approving now as she made her way into the kitchen. She nodded in approval upon seeing I haven't left any food out and there was no dishes in the sink. She opened the fridge briefly to make sure it was as supplied as it was going to get. At this point, Mom seemed pleased with my housekeeping skills.

Then she turned to the back door.

I gulped as she reached for the handle.

My backyard was a mess, to put it lightly. It was really lucky it was fenced off so the neighbours could barely see in. I normally threw whatever I didn't need anymore out that back door without really looking where it landed. There was probably full trash bags that I had forgotten to leave out for the garbage man there too. And I had mowed the lawn in months. I wouldn't be surprised if mice and other pests had made a home back there.

Mom took one look outside and sent me a look at that made me shiver. She jerked her thumb over her shoulder as she walked past me. "Clean that up," was all she said before she was out the door.

I stood in my back doorway for a while, staring at the mess I had managed to make over the past few months. It really was a pigsty. And there was no way I was cleaning that up on my own.

Instinctively, I called Juice. He didn't question me as I whined and complained at him, much like a child. He agreed to help me and said he was on his way over. I was a little surprised over his immediate agreement, even if I knew how sweet he was. But then it dawned at me that he never really went in the backyard and thus didn't know how messy it had become. I winced, staring at my phone.

I sat out on my front step, waiting for him. Thankfully, the step was shaded by part of my house and a big tree in my front yard. I stretched my legs out before them, looking at the inevitable summer tan that was starting to slow. I looked up at the first sound of a vehicle coming down my street, confusion coming over me as I saw not Juice's motorcycle but Opie's truck.

I stood and walked down the pathway to greet the driver, even more confused as Juice got out.

"What's the truck for?" I asked as he walked around it to stand in front of me. He gave me a sheepish grin.

"When I was leaving the clubhouse, I ran into Opie," he explained. "I told him we were gonna clean your backyard. After he finished laughing, he gave me the keys. He said we'd need it."

I both mentally cursed and thanked Opie. Cursed for laughing and thanked for thinking ahead. Good ol' Opie.

"Yeah, about that…" I took him by the hand and led him through the gate to my backyard. He took one look at it and his jaw actually dropped. This time, I smiled sheepishly up at him.

"How do the cats not tear those bags up and leave trash all over the place?" he asked, somewhat under his breath. I wasn't sure if that was a direct question to me or just to himself. I answered anyways.

"I shot one once. They don't come back anymore."

He looked down at me. "You took your handgun to a _cat_?"

"No. It was my hunting rifle Piney gave me for a eighteenth birthday." At least the weapon actually got use. Who actually gives an eighteen year old girl a rifle for her birthday? You can tell Piney only had a boy.

"We better get to work." His statement was blunt and to the point. I couldn't agree more.

We first worked through what I might actually want to keep and stored it in my large crappy old shed. Then we took all the full garbage bags and threw them over the fence into my front yard. We planned to load them into Opie's truck and take it out to the dump. I had to admit, it was a lot of work lifting all those heavy bags over my high fence. I am not the strongest girl out there and apparently I knew how to make loads of garbage. My arms were aching by the time all the garbage had been moved. Not to mention the sun was now high in the sky and I was sweating. I was starting to think I was not meant to live here in California as the heat began taking its toll. I couldn't move as fast before and I was sweating up a storm.

Juice took one look at me and pointed to the back step. "Sit. Take a break." I was going to open my mouth to argue but a dizzy spell hit me as the sun almost seemed to brighten. I nodded vaguely and plopped myself down on the step. Juice had managed to dislodge my lawn mower and weed whacker from the shed and was looking around the yard, trying to figure out where to start. He decided the weed whacker would start off with anything near the fence. Before he turned it on, he wandered over to me. I could see the sweat glistening on his own face as he took his cut off and pulled his shirt over his head, throwing both onto the step next to me. He seemed to stand there for a moment, letting me admire that perfect body of his, before he went back to the weed whacker.

The noise from the weed whacker filled the air as Juice turned it on and got to work. His back was to me but I could still see the sweat droplets rolling down it. With each movement, the muscles in his back tensed and relaxed. He turned so I could see him from the side as he moved along the fence, face tense with concentration. The muscles in his arms moved the same as the ones in his back. Wasn't this a middle-aged housewife's dream? A young, hot man doing yard work for her while shirtless. I just needed a glass of lemonade and a pool and it would be perfect.

"Kelly."

I jerked out of my mindless daydream when I heard him say my name. He was looking at me, full of that sweet, bright innocence of his.

"Yeah?" I asked, standing up and brushing my skirt off.

"You okay? You zoned out." He actually looked concerned about me staring at him while probably drooling. Bless him.

"I'm fine," I answered honestly, patting his arm. He nodded and handed me the weed whacker to store back in the shed. He went to the lawn mower as I waded in the ankle deep grass to put the weed whacker in the shed. Once again, noise filled the air as Juice began the typical back and forth pattern of mowing the lawn. I avoided getting run over as I made my way back to my house. I picked Juice's cut and shirt and took them inside, hanging them on the back of a chair. It suddenly dawned on me that I hadn't ate any breakfast.

Wandering around my warm kitchen, I made myself a large sandwich and made a pitcher of cold lemonade. I set my glass of lemonade and my sandwich aside as I made another sandwich and poured another glass. Going back to the open doorway, I leaned against the frame. Juice looked over at me with a slight smile.

"You hungry?" I asked over the sound of the lawnmower.

"Yeah," he called back. "Let me finish."

I nodded and went back inside to eat my own sandwich. As I finished one half of my sandwich, Juice came in, grabbing his shirt to wipe the sweat off his body. I raised my eyebrow at the random use of shirt; he merely shrugged at my quizzical expression.

We sat eating in silence for a while before quickly washing our dishes. I was ready to take another cold shower – my kitchen was burning hot after a while – but Juice ruined that happy dream for me.

"We need to take that shit to the dump," he reminded me. I sighed, unhappy about it. He gave me a sympathetic sideways hug before we both we out the front door, him still shirtless, which was fine by me.

I had to stare at the pile of garbage bags we had made. It, somehow, seemed _bigger_. Juice seemed to have noticed too as he stared at it as well. I cursed my neighbours. I wouldn't be surprised if they had thrown their garbage in while we had been inside. Slightly defeated, we began hauling the bags to the truck and throwing them in back at.

Again, I cursed my weak, little girl arms as the weight of the garbage started taking its toll and making them ache. I could have kissed the final bag I had to carry if that wasn't so gross and disgusting. As we went to get into the truck, I noticed my neighbour across the street – a thirty something year old housewife with three kids – admiring Juice. I scowled at her and flipped her off, making her scowl back before storming into her house. I smiled to myself before getting into the passenger's seat.

"What are you smiling about?" Juice asked as he started the truck up. I shrugged cheerily.

"No reason."

* * *

It was nearly five in the afternoon when we got back to my house. We had stopped by the garage to give Opie his truck back. He made a face behind his protective beard shield when he smelled the left-over scent on his truck but didn't comment. We took his motorcycle back to my house.

As we got into the house, Juice asked, "Wanna take a shower?"

"I'm tired and that requires me taking my clothes off," I answered as I went into the kitchen. He closely followed me.

"That was kind of the point."

I made a face at him as I went out my back door to admire all our hard work. Well, his hard work. I wandered over to the hose that I hadn't really seen in a couple of months as it had gotten lost in my overgrown grass.

Lifting it up, I turned around and turned it on, spraying Juice in a steady flow of water.

"Wait-? What are—Pffftt." He sputtered. I laughed, hearing his response. He started walking towards me and I squeaked as he tried wrestling the hose from me. Mostly, he succeeded in knocking both of us to the ground. We had also somehow managed to knock the hose's head off, causing it to just let a stream of water pour out onto the grass.

"Well, we're kind of taking a shower," I commented. In our fall, he landed on top of me. I was a little sore from the impact but not enough to make me focus on it.

"Yeah." He smiled slightly before pressing his lips against mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck, enjoying the soft feel of his lips.

One he lifted his mouth away from mine, I said, "Juice?"

"Hmmm?"

"The water from the hose is making me feel like I wet myself."

The look on his face after that made me laugh, seeing how priceless it was. After a moment, he started laughing too.

* * *

**/end chapter**


	12. Lesson

**A/N**: Wow, this took me a while. Sorry about that. I noticed that my list I swiped for my 100 theme challenge has more than 100 themes on it. Haha. Five more to be exact. So it's really a 105 theme challenge. But whatever. I'm finally able to watch season 3 so I'm finally getting up-to-date on stuff. I'm about six episodes in now. Anyways, here's more Ima-abuse. I really don't like her. And neither does Kelly. So she's gonna be childish about it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own SoA. Just Kelly. This song is by Pink. Stupid Girls, haha.

* * *

**SONS OF ANARCHY**

**100 theme challenge**

**101. Lesson**

_Go to Fred Segal, you'll find them there_  
_Laughing loud so all the little people stare_  
_Looking for a daddy to pay for the champagne_  
_(Drop a name)_  
_What happened to the dreams of a girl president_  
_She's dancing in the video next to 50 Cent_  
_They travel in packs of two or three_  
_With their itsy bitsy doggies and their teeny-weeny tees_  
_Where, oh where, have the smart people gone?_  
_Oh where, oh where could they be?_

_- "Stupid Girls", Pink_

Watching her make out with my brother made me want to stab my eyes out. Seriously. The crow eaters weren't that touchy-feely.

Anyways, I was talking about Ima. She was really rubbing me the wrong way and I couldn't stand being in the same room with her. I was spending less and less time with Jax because she always seemed to be nearby where he was.

At the moment I sat at the bar counter, Tig on one side and Opie on the other. Both were harrassing the poor new prospects, tormenting them as they tried to mix the drinks properly. Across the room, Ima sat on Jax's lap, making out with him. I made a face in their direction, not that they noticed.

"Ya know, Kel, if you want some, I'm always here for you." I flinched at the sound of Tig's voice. He had noticed me glaring in their direction. I looked back at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You know, Tiggy, maybe I'll just take you up on that offer," I responded, taking a swing of my beer. He looked surprised before giving me a lecherous grin.

"Really?"

"No."

Opie snickered at Tig, who looked annoyed now. The prospects had used my distraction to high tail it outside.

"I'm going outside," I announced loudly, getting off my stool. "It's getting too slutty in here for me." Opie and Tig both ducked their heads as they laughed. I could hear Jax reprimand me as Ima huffed but my back was to them and I didn't care.

It was pretty bright outside but a gentle breeze kept it from being too hot. I stood under the overhang, arms crossed and frownly. The door opened behind me, and Tig and Opie came out to stand with me.

"We got kicked out," Tig said, much like a child. My mouth twitched into a smile. I knew Opie didn't like Ima anymore than I did, though he was better at keeping his opinions under control. Tig, on the other hand, just enjoyed the chance to harrass the crap out of someone, anyone. Even Jax's newest screw toy.

Tig lazily slung an arm around my shoulders and leaned against me. He pointed, just as lazily, to a white car across the lot.

"That Jax's bitch's ride?" he asked. I nodded. He grinned down at me. "Let's go play with it."

He moved away from me and started strolling purposefully towards it. I looked up at Opie who shrugged. The two of us followed.

"Tig, what are you doing?" I asked as we paused by the car. He was inspecting it rather thoroughly.

"I'm a mechanic so I'm checkin' it out," he answered. "Safety first." That answer wasn't good enough. In a fashion much like my mother, I put my fists on my hips and gave him my most no-nonsense expression. He sighed. "You clearly dislike this bitch-"

"Clearly," Opie muttered. I gently elbowed him in the gut.

"-But she's not taking the hint." I chewed my bottom lip, trying to figure out what he was trying to say. He gave me a look like I was an idiot for not catching on. "We're teaching her a lesson."

His intentions suddenly dawned on me and I smiled big. "Oh, Uncle Tiggy, I love you."

He laughed that ill-intentioned laugh of his. "Uncle Tiggy? You haven't called me that since you were eleven."

"Well, I haven't loved you this much since I was eleven."

"Ouch."

So our wonderful, childish, kind of illegal fun began.

Opie rather skillfully broke into the car as Tig and I took turns letting the air out of the tires. Once Opie had successfully got us into the car, he and I sat in the front seats while took stood in the doorway. We didn't tamper with anything inside because that would be just too cruel. Instead, we rooted through all the junk she had inside, Tig pocketing any unused cigarettes and pocket change we found. We also decided to confiscate the twenty four case of beer we found in the back seat. We left the car more messy than how we found but it was so bad before she probably wouldn't even notice. For extra measure, Tig pissed on one of the tires.

"It still looks alright," Opie commented as we stood back and looked at it. Indeed, it did. It just had four flat tires.

"Let's drink to a job well done," Tig said, holding up the case of beer. Opie and I let out half-assed "huzzahs" before we decided to climb the ladder to the roof of the club house for our mini-party. Normally, only Jax seemed to hang out up here but we wanted to be somewhere Ima couldn't reach us in case we became her suspects. Since, she seems to blame me for everything.

We had been enjoying ourselves for a good twenty minutes or so – Tig was telling us his most vulgar joke he knew, waving his arms about for emphasis – when we finally heard someone come out of the clubhouse. Voices alerted us to my dad, Piney, Chibs and Juice. Over the edge of the roof, I could see them seat themselves at their motorcycles. They seemed to notice the flat tires, Dad noticing first. He looked around for a bit before spotting us on the roof. He pointed to us, then at the car. In our most innocent fashion, Opie and I waved back. Tig merely let out a hoot of laughter. The four seemed amused so they didn't bother commenting and went back to the conversation at hand.

Then the door open again. I could hear Ima talk for a few seconds before she must have saw her car. Then she let out a scream that sounded like a cat being skewered. She rushed towards it in a panic, Jax behind her.

I snickered under my breath. She fluttered around her car for a bit before looking around a bit. And she saw me. She went still for a moment before storming back towards the clubhouse.

"KELLY." Wow, she had a high-pitched scream. She stopped just short so I was still able to see her. She pointed back at her car. "WHAT THE FUCK?"

"Blame my dad," I answered, trying to keep the amusement from my voice and failing. "He didn't raise me right." She was red in the face with fury at my answer.

To add to her annoyance, my dad called to her, "Yeah, sorry about that."

Opie and Tig had sat down behind me so they were out of sight as they laughed. My wiggled my fingers had Ima in a childish, fairy-like manner with a sweet smile on my face. She looked about ready to snap.

Jax came up beside her, whispering something to her, which made her calm down slightly. I frowned slightly because my brother had ruined my fun. Then, he looked up at me.

"Get her car fixed," he called up to me. Jax put his hand on the small of Ima's back and led her towards his bike. She had just enough time to shoot one last glare at me. Everyone remained silent as the pair drove off together. Once they turned down a road and we could no longer see them, Tig and Opie started laughing again.

I climbed down the ladder and approached the others. Piney was quietly chuckling to himself while Juice and Chibs were smiling, amused. I stopped before my dad as he raised an eyebrow at me.

"Kel, that was rather childish of you," he scolded, though his tone clearly said he found it funny.

"Well, if she insists on calling me a child, I insist on acting like one to her," I answered defiantly.

"Of course, princess. How did that sweet, loving mind of yours come up with this?"

"Actually, it didn't. Tig's did."

My dad shot Tig a look, who shrugged and started laughing again before taking a swing of his beer.

"You gonna pay for a repairs for her car?" Piney asked. I shook my head. Was what I did bad? Yes. Was I gonna fix it? No. Again, for anyone who forgot, look who raised me. Skanky lady shagging my brother is a free target, as my mother would say.

"We may have to junk it then," my father said with a shrug. "Oh well. No loss of us."

I gave my father my sweet smile and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm gonna take a nap now." Instinctively, I grabbed Juice by his cut and tugged him along with me. Willingly, he followed. Chibs whistled after us. As we went into the clubhouse, I could still hear Tig laughing on the roof.

* * *

**/END**


	13. Picking Up the Pieces

**A/N:** First post in the month of loooove. Anyways, this takes place during the season third premiere. Parts of it probably doesn't match because I don't remember the premiere perfectly. It's been over a month since I actually watched it. But ta-da. Here ya all go.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own SoA. Song by Default.

* * *

**SONS OF ANARCHY**

**100 theme challenge**

**86. Picking Up the Pieces**

_Can hold my breath only for a little  
While 'til reality starts sinking in_  
_Once again I'm settling for second best  
Turn the pages skip to the end_  
_To where I swore that I would try since the last time  
I crossed that line in the back of my mind  
I know_

_- "It Only Hurts", Default_

I moaned, rolling over so my face was buried into my pillow. The room was dark with the door shut, noise just barely coming through it. I was laying in Juice's bed at the clubhouse, where I had spent the better part of the past couple days.

Hell had hit Charming.

My mother had ran off.

My nephew at been kidnapped.

My friend was dead.

And all this happened while I was safely tucked away in the clubhouse where I couldn't do shit. The news had hit me like a freight train and I just couldn't handle it. After trying to speak with Jax – with no avail – and following my father around like a lost puppy until he told me to get some rest, I had holed myself up in this room. It might have been childish of me to do so, what with the club having to put up with so much at the moment, but I just couldn't deal with it.

The door creaked open but I didn't move. Every night, Juice would come in and go to sleep against me before leaving the next morning to help the club. I assumed it was just him.

"Kel?" Juice's weight came onto the bed and I felt him pull the blankets back. Reluctantly, I rolled over so I could look up at him. I immediately felt bad, seeing the look of concern on his face. For the past couple of days, I've been nothing but dead weight.

"What time is it?" I asked, sitting up. The whole body felt sore from the motion, which was to be expected as I hadn't been moving around a lot.

"Just past noon," he answered, absently reaching out and tugging a strand of my messy hair. "You gotta get up now. Your dad needs you."

I sighed before sitting up and dragging myself off the bed. It was about time I made myself useful. Juice sat on the bed, watching me as I got dressed. Quickly, I ran a brush through my hair before the two of us left the room together.

The rest of the guys – minus Jax and Tig– sat in the main room, muttering to each other. Sitting on the counter in front of Chibs was a brand new full-patched cut. I flinched at the sight of it. It was for Kip, I knew it. Just seeing it hurt.

Dad looked up once he saw me. "Princess, hate to ask this, but we need you to watch the garage and clubhouse," he said, putting down his beer. "We got business to do."

"Yeah, sure," I answered half-heartedly. He got up and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, kissing me on the forehead, before leaving the clubhouse. The rest of the guys followed after him, leaving me alone in the large room.

The room never felt so quiet and lonely, even though I had been there alone dozens upon dozens of times. But it never felt like this. The air was thick. I felt almost dizzy just standing there. Needing to leave the room, I grabbed a cold water bottle from behind the bar and went outside.

The sunlight hit me, blinding me immediately. I cursed myself, knowing it affected me so much because I didn't go outside in a couple of days. The garage was as busy as ever, despite the current turn of events, so I made my way quickly across the parking lot. The mechanics greeted me as I passed so I gave them a failed attempt of a smile.

My morning was going how it was to be expected. I answered phone calls, talked to customers, organized the growing mess on my mother's desk, and helped with the cars. But my heart just wasn't in any of it. I kept drifting off, thinking about what the guys must have been up to. It had to involve Abel somehow. That was the only thing they were truly working on these days.

Abel, and figuring out how to get fix Mom's situation. Tig had rode out to look after her with a couple of the other guys. I had a couple of phone conversations with her since, but we didn't talk much. Dad had insisted on not telling her about Abel because he didn't want to panic her even more. I agreed with his reasoning; she had enough on her plate as it was.

A vibrating noise from my bag caused me to snap out of my thoughts. I got up from the desk and grabbed the pre-pay my dad made me carry with me.

"Hello?" I asked, sitting back down.

"_Hey, baby_," my mother's voice said. "_You out of bed yet_?"

"Yes, Mom," I answered, not paying too much attention. As our conversations went these days, it wouldn't be a very long one.

"_Where are you_?"

I could hear her shush Tig in the background and him make annoyed grunts. I smiled slightly at this.

"Work," I answered again, staring at the papers before me. I shuffled them around, trying to at least make it sound like I was doing something.

"_Who's watching Abel, then_?"

I froze in my shuffling. She hadn't brought Abel up to me on the phone, just to Dad. And he was much better at lying then I was. I rubbed my forehead, aggravated.

"Neeta's with him," I lied, hating myself. I didn't like lying to my mother, of all people. There was a brief pause.

"_Alright_," she said, satisfied with my answer. I could have sighed with relief, if it didn't tip me off. I was lucky she wasn't in the room with me. My face would have given me away. "_I'll talk to you soon, baby. Love you_."

"Love you, too, Ma," I muttered before hearing her hang up. I tossed my phone back to my bag and sighed, propping my feet back up on the desk. The conversation was barely over two minutes long and yet it still caused my heart to beat faster.

Needing to do something to occupy myself, I went into the other room to work with the guys. Just past five, Tara showed up, looking none too pleased. I stopped work as she looked at me and jerked her head to the picnic table. I walked over, sitting up on the top next to her.

"Your brother's an ass," she muttered. I glanced at her.

"He's still alive, is he?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant. As of recently, Jax had been acting just as useless as I was, but with good reason. Tara's mouth twitched into the briefest of smiles before falling again. I patted her shoulder, trying to be comforting. We sat in a comfortable, if strange, silence. Well, we did until a familiar car pulled up.

I scowled, getting off the picnic table as Agent Stahl got out of the car. She gave me a short glance with a raised eyebrow. I made a face, though I bit my tongue. Now wasn't the time to get into problems with the ATF.

"I need you two to come down to the station with me," she said, stopping a few feet away from us.

"Why does Kelly need to go?" Tara questioned, getting up and standing before me. I was a little touched that Tara was suddenly feeling protective of me. "She wasn't there when all of this went down. She was here."

"Yes, but the club trusts her with more than you," Stahl answered, sounding a little smug. Tara winced slightly at the statement and I looked down at my feet, feeling awkward. "She might know some things you don't that can be…helpful." She turned back to her vehicle. "See you in ten."

"Like I'd tell you," I grumbled as the car drove away. Tara glanced at me.

"I'll wait in the car," she mumbled. I nodded, taking my T-M shirt off. I went back into the garage, telling the guys I had to go. They seemed worried that the ATF was showing up again but promised that they'll look after things while I was gone. I grabbed my bag before jogging out and climbing into Tara's car.

We drove to the station, silent again. The only noise was the sounds of the car and what noises Charming gave us through the open windows.

Entering the station, Hale looked up with an apologetic look, mostly directed at Tara. He came over to us.

"Sorry you two have to go through this," he said, patting us both of the shoulders. We both shrugged simultaneously. "Well, Kelly, you're first." I gave my bag to Tara and followed Hale to the interrogation room. Feeling stubborn, I dropped myself into the chair across from Stahl and crossed my arms.

"Miss Morrow, we can make this difficult-" she started.

"Alright," I interrupted her, as contrary as possible. She raised her eyebrows at me before going back to the papers before her.

"Well, then, Kelly," she put emphasis on my first name, showing she wasn't going to be respectful anymore, "can you tell us about the night Kip Epps was murdered?"

"Nope. I wasn't there."

Stahl gave me a look like she was trying to be patient with a small child. I gave her a tight smile.

"We know you weren't there," she said. "But Sons must have told you something. Dr. Knowles must have told you something."

"Not really," I answered with a slight shrug. "Daddy says I'm too young to be given details about the death of my…friend." I struggled a little with the last word, remembering the blood stain I had saw that night when I went to Jax's. The body had already been removed but the blood wouldn't wash off, no matter how anyone had scrubbed.

"What about your mother?" she pressed, breaking me from my thoughts. "A mother wouldn't up and disappear, and not call her only daughter."

"I don't know where she is," I insisted. In all honesty, I didn't know her exact location, just that she was somewhere temporarily safe. "Like I said, no one bothers to tell me shit around here."

Stahl seemed frustrated. I could have grinned, but kept my amusement to myself. Juice had told me how Stahl had been demoted and was no longer working on the IRA case. Obviously, she was still trying to take it out on SAMCRO.

"You sure?" she asked again.

"Yes, I'm sure." I rested my arms on the table, leaning forward and looking serious. "Do you really think my dad would let his only daughter know stuff that could potentially be harmful? Just knowing stuff can get me killed."

Stahl studied me for a moment before jerking her head to the door.

"Leave. Send in Dr. Knowles."

"Yes, ma'am," I muttered sarcastically under my breath. I left the room and sat down next to Tara who was waiting. "Your turn." She muttered something profane before giving me my bag and going into the room. I watched the door shut behind her, feeling agitated. I didn't want to be stuck in the station for any longer but I knew it wasn't right to leave without Tara.

I was falling asleep from boredom by the time Tara was let out. She had been in there much longer than I was. She stopped briefly, looking at me.

"Let's go," she said before leaving. I hurriedly followed her.

"Stahl let you have it?" I asked, as we walked to the car. She shook her head.

"FBI," she answered.

"Ouch."

"Dr. Knowles?" Stahl had followed us out of the station. Tara stopped again, turning to look at her. She glanced at me, jerking her head to the car. I sighed before leaving her, leaning against the car to watch.

I couldn't hear their exact words, but it seemed to annoy both of them. The sound of a motorcycle came and I turned to see my dad ride up. He got off his bike and stopped next to me.

"Go home and get ready for Sack's wake," he mumbled softly, kissing me on the forehead. I nodded before going around the car and getting in. Dad stopped to speak with Tara before going to Stahl. Tara climbed in, looking more frustrated than I saw her all day.

"Take me home, please?" I asked, trying not to annoy her. She nodded. As we pulled away, I could see the looks on Dad's and Stahl's faces. Neither looked pleased.

* * *

My room seemed perfectly spotless. It must have been because I hadn't been there in a while. I threw my bag to the floor and stripped, getting into the shower. I stood there, scrubbing myself off repeatedly. I felt so dirty from not washing myself recently. Once I was satisfied that I no longer stunk, I got out, wrapping myself in a warm, fuzzy towel.

The sun was setting as I pulled out on black pants and a black, short-sleeved dress shirt. As I located the most appropriate heels I owned, it stung my heart, knowing I wore the same get-up not that long ago for Donna's funeral. I was running a brush through my hair when my front door opened.

I didn't turn when Juice came into my room. He leaned against the wall, watching me.

"You already?" he asked. I nodded, tossing my brush onto my dresser. I grabbed my jacket off the floor near the foot of the bed and followed Juice downstairs.

Happy sat on his bike in my driveway along with a couple of the nomads. They didn't say a word as Juice got on his bike with me behind him. The town seemed dead as we rode to the church; there wasn't a person in sight until we reached our location.

The front lawn was littered with both SoA members and military people. As I got off the bike, I felt confused until it occurred to me Half-Sack had been in the military before prospecting for SAMCRO. I had heard the story of his name one too many times.

Juice took me by the hand and led me inside. Dad and Jax weren't there yet, and Tig was obviously too busy, but the rest of SAMCRO were already inside, conversing quietly with friends and family. Juice would stop occasionally to speak with other people. If they recognized me, they would ask how I was doing. I would nod slightly and say, 'all right', but nothing more. I wasn't in the mood to be talking to any of these people, most of them strangers or close to it.

Gently, I tugged my hand loose from Juice. He glanced at me, worried for a moment, but I gave him a slight smile and murmured that I needed to go speak with Kip. He nodded, understanding, before back to speaking with some guy I didn't quite know from Tacoma.

Walking past the other visitors, I wandered into the room that held the casket. I stopped, my heart pounding loudly. I could feel the tears begin welling up in my eyes at the sight of the casket before me. It wasn't even open and I couldn't see the body, but knowing he was in there, unmoving, made every inch of me ache.

The only other person in the room at the moment was Chibs. He stood there, staring down at the full-patched cut that laid across the wooden box. I walked up next to him, pausing at his side. He glanced at me. It was strange to look at his face. I don't think I've ever seen Chibs cry, not like this. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him. Honestly, I didn't know if it was to comfort him or me.

"Hey, darlin'," he whispered, reaching a hand up to stroke my hair. "I'll be okay." He kissed the top of my head before I nodded and released him. Chibs patted my arm again before going back out, leaving me alone.

Being left with my thoughts, I looked down at the casket. The tears finally began leaking down. I swallowed to clear a lump in my throat before I began speaking out loud.

"Hey, Kip," I whispered. I didn't want anyone else to hear me since I felt this was a private conversation. "I miss you. It's not right anymore without you around. It was hard enough talking to the guys, knowing they would spill to my parents if it worried them enough. I miss having you listen to all my problems. It must have been a pain in the ass but you never complained about it.

"The guys miss you. They miss you a lot. I never seen most of them this broken up before, especially about someone not patched. He didn't notice me, but I saw Piney crack a tear. Piney of all people.

"I wish you were still here, Kip. Mom's gone. Abel's gone." I stopped to hiccup and wipe the tears off my face. "Thank you for trying to protect Abel. If he could talk, he'd thank you, I know it." I bent down and kissed the cut lightly. "I love you, Kip."

An arm encircled my waist and Juice rested his chin on my shoulder.

"You okay?" he murmured into my ear. I nodded and sniffed slightly. A noise came behind us and we both looked. Jax and my dad came in. Thinking they might want to be alone, I took Juice by the hand and led him outside. He followed me without arguing.

We went back to the original situation: Juice talking while I remained, mute, by his side. I departed from him briefly to talk with Lyla and Opie before drifting back to him.

Jax and Dad came out of the room together. People were filing out now, having already paid their respects. With a mere wave of his hand, the guys of SAMCRO gathered together, herding us who were attached to them. With Dad in the lead, we went outside the church.

Like earlier, the lawn was littered with people, but this time, most were leaving, not coming. It was entirely dark now with no sign of the sun. I was happy I had thought of bringing my jacket with me. My eyes followed Bobby's heels as he walked just feet ahead of me. Dad continued to lead our herd, Jax and Tara stuck together behind him. I wasn't paying much attention to walking; Juice's hand on my back was gently pushing me where he wanted me to go.

It came suddenly. A van pulled up, though I heard it more than I saw. And then the gunfire.

Someone shouted to get down. I didn't react fast enough so Juice pushed me forcefully to the ground. I could just see people dropping to lay flat on the sidewalk, road and grass. Juice kept most of his body over top of mine before kneeling up. I could see much of SAMCRO do to the same, their guns in their hands as they began shooting back. I folded my arms over my head, trying to block out the sound. There was shouting, screaming, then the noise of the van trying to screech off. The noise of an impact made my stomach roll. Whatever it was, it sounded not good.

The gunfire stopped almost as suddenly as it came. Absently, Juice tugged me up, running a hand along me as if to make sure I was in one piece.

"You okay?" he asked, hurriedly. I nodded before he stood up and joined with the rest of SAMCRO. I looked around, trying to figure out what had happened. It looked like many people were doing to same. Shuffling on my knees, I moved back to Lyla and the kids. She was trying to calm them so I instinctively started to help her as I looked around.

Someone was lying on the road. I stood to get a better look at the body. My stomach dropped into my knees once I saw the uniform. Police were rolling up but I knew only two officers had been there that night: Unser and Hale. And I could see Unser farther down the sidewalk.

I didn't like him. I didn't even know him that well. After all, he was always trying to get rid of the Sons. But he didn't deserve this. He didn't even have to be here, paying respects to a person who was the exact opposite of everything he believed in. But he still came because he was a good guy.

Swallowing hard, I looked around at the noise of a commotion. One of the shooters had been left behind and Jax was going after him. I wanted to yell for Jax to stop but it wouldn't do any good. I was able to see what had set him off. A mother was screaming about her hurt son. The boy was bloodied and he was clearly in Jax's view.

The police, who had showed up, were trying to fix the situation. After letting Jax get as much anger out as possibly could, they pulled my brother off the man. I shivered as I saw one of them handcuffed Jax too but there wasn't anything to be done for it.

Juice and Opie came over. Immediately, I wrapped my arms around Juice's waist, burying against him, as Opie tried to gather the children and keep them from getting more upset.

"Clay says to get you home," Juice murmured into my ear. I nodded.

"Is Jax gonna be alright?" I asked. Juice stroked the top of my head comfortingly.

"I don't know, baby," he answered, honestly.

I sighed and let him lead me through the crowd to his bike. I wanted to get away from there as soon as possible even though I was worried about my brother.

Looking up at the clear, starry sky, I whispered, "Sorry, Kip." I didn't want his remembrance to be like this.

* * *

**/End**


	14. Shattered

**A/N:** Oh look. I managed to post two in one month. I'm so proud of myself. There was a SoA marathon on today and that inspired me to write. This takes place during 'Home'. I didn't watch that specific episode today so I didn't get any of the text right. Oh well. Wow, a lot of my writing for this recently has been on the sadder spectrum of things. Geez, I'm a killjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own SoA. Just Kelly. And this song is Bird on a Wire, which is played during that episode. I don't remember the name of the original singer but the one that inspired me and I listened to this entire time is the one from the show, played by Katey Sagal and the Forest Rangers. So we'll just go with that.

* * *

**SONS OF ANARCHY**

**100 theme challenge**

**69. Shattered**

_Like a bird on the wire_  
_Like a drunk in a midnight choir_  
_I have tried in my way to be free_

_Like a worm on a hook_  
_Like a knight from some old fashioned book_  
_I have saved all my ribbons for thee_

_If I, if I have been unkind_  
_I hope that you can just let it go by_  
_If I, if I have been untrue_  
_I hope you know it was never to you_

_Oh, like a baby, stillborn_  
_Like a beast with his horn_  
_I have torn everyone who reached out for me_

_-"Bird on a Wire", Katey Sagal & The Forest Rangers_

There wasn't much noise going outside, but I knew that was because the guys were getting ready to ride out and get Mom. I sat at the bar, fiddling with my cellphone, feeling rather bored. It had taken a lot of whining and begging but I had managed to convince my dad and Jax to take me to see her. The past few days had felt really empty without her.

The door to the clubhouse opened a bit and Jax poked his head in. "We're going, Kel," he said before heading back out. I got up and headed outside. The guys were at their bikes, ready to leave at a word from my dad. I knew only Dad, Jax and myself would be heading out to my grandfather's; there was work for the others to do before hand.

I stopped by Jax and he handed me his spare helmet and his pack. I slung his pack over my shoulder before getting on behind him. It was easier if I rode with him instead of Dad, anyways.

A couple of minutes past and then the bikes all roared to life. Dad pulled out and Jax fell in to his side. I rested my forehead on my brother's shoulder, listening to the sound of the bikes. Somehow, it felt calming. But what was more calming was the hope I'd be with my mother very soon.

* * *

My dad and Jax pulled off onto another road as I watched the rest of the guys roar past us. They would split soon enough too. Dad pulled off on the shoulder, causing Jax to slow down next to him.

I didn't speak, only half paying attention as they spoke to each other. Dad's hands were acting up again. Jax had to get off and help tie his hands down. There was pain and annoyance on his father's face; I knew that meant he was thinking about how much longer he could lead the Sons. 'You can't ride, you can't lead' was one of their rules. And it looked like Dad wouldn't be riding in the near future. I bit my lip, mulling it over. I couldn't think of a SAMCRO without my dad in charge, even though I knew that had already existed. It just happened to have existed before I was born.

"Kel, you alright?"

I jumped slightly, looking up at my brother. Dad was looking in my direction too.

"Wha…?" I somehow mumbled out. Jax rested a hand on my shoulder.

"You're spacing out, sis," he answered. I stared at him blankly for a moment before nodding, understanding.

"Oh. Sorry." I shifted back a bit so Jax could get back on his bike without kicking me. I moved back in place afterwards before the two took off again. I paid more attention to my surroundings this time around, taking in the desolate environment. There wasn't anyone else on the road, giving it a lonely feel. I didn't like it.

What had felt like days later, but what must have only been less than an hour, we pulled up in front of my grandfather's house. I got off the back of Jax's bike and stared at it, void of feeling. I had never met my grandfather; didn't know anything about him. I would be surprised if he even knew I existed. All I knew was that he was going senile and he really didn't like my dad.

The front door flew open and my mother came out. The lack of feeling I had felt only a moment earlier dissolve into longing and wanting to be with my mom. While Dad and Jax were able to keep their cool in that moment, I wasn't.

"Ma!" I practically shrieked before running towards her. She stopped in her striding towards us and held her arms open, which I flung myself into. I held her in a vice grip, nuzzling my face against her shoulder. I could feel her rub her cheek against the side of my head.

"I missed you, baby," she whispered in my ear. I nodded, telling her the same. I didn't want to but I knew I couldn't monopolize her to myself. After one more squeeze, I released her and let her go to Jax and Dad.

I turned to Tig who had been behind her. He gave me a crooked smile before holding his arms out. I smiled slightly before hugging him. Really, as much of a freak and creep Tig could be at times, it just didn't feel right without him around.

"Tara's inside packing," he murmured to me before releasing me. "You should go help her." I nodded and he went to talk with the others.

As I started for the front door I saw someone in the garden, walking. I stared at him for a moment, realizing it was my grandfather. Mom didn't have a lot of pictures of him but I still managed to recognize him. I frowned. He looked so lost and … sad. It was easy to understand because I had already been told what we would be doing to him that day. I understood why we couldn't just take him to Charming with us. There was too much shit going down and Mom didn't want him to be caught in the middle of any of it. But, still, I felt bad for him.

I turned away as Mom started walking towards him and went into the house. I had never been there before but I managed to navigate myself to the hallway with the bedrooms. In one, I found Tara. She looked up when I entered.

"Hey, Kel," she said with a half-hearted smile. I gave her a matching one before sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Tig told me to help out," I said. Tara brushed her hands off on her pants before picking up a box and a wad of newspapers.

"Can you take this into the other room then?" she asked as I took the stuff from her hands. "Gemma wants to pack up all the important and sentimental stuff."

"Yeah, sure," I replied before heading out. I passed Jax in the hallway as he went into the room I just left. Unlike what I normally would do, I didn't hang around to eavesdrop on them.

* * *

The car ride to the home was one of the most awkward car rides of my life. Tara drove, seeing as it was her car, and I sat in the passenger's seat. Mom and my grandfather sat in the backseat, holding hands. Dad and Jax had left us to meet up with the others and deal with some shit on their end.

I sat cross-legged on the seat with my head leaning against the window. No one was talking the entire time and it felt like the air was thick with everyone's sorrow. I hadn't spent the last day or so with them, didn't know the full situation and so I felt like it wasn't my place to say anything. Fortunately – or unfortunately, I couldn't tell – no one else felt like speaking either.

The home seemed to loom towards us, feeling like a graveyard. As Tara parked the car, I could just feel the atmosphere getting worse. Nate knew why he was here and it was upsetting to him, that much was clear. And it was upsetting my mother too. I could count on one hand the amount of times I've seen her that broken up.

Walking to the door, I stayed ahead of the others as they walked side by side, almost wishing I was able to have left with the guys.

"I'll check him in," Tara said before walking towards the door. What seemed subconsciously, she took my hand and led me to the door. I didn't know if she did it for me or if she did it for herself. I turned to look over my shoulder to see Mom and Nate sit on the bench.

I stood by as Tara talked with the people there. Feeling useless, I sat in a chair by the door, kicking my feet like a child would. I glanced up when Tara and a doctor went outside to fetch Nate.

"No! I don't want to go with him! Take me home, Gemma! Please, take me home!"

"I'm sorry, Daddy. I can't…"

My heart sunk, hearing their voices outside. I stood up and looked out the glass door. One look at the sight and I couldn't watch anymore, instead staring at the ground. My heart couldn't take seeing my mother like that.

The door opened and Tara, Nate and the doctor came in. Tara nodded to me and I followed, shuffling my feet and watching the floor.

The doctor got Nate all set up and left us alone in his new room to say goodbye.

Again I felt awkward. Nate sat down on his bed with a rather blank expression on his face. Tara kneeled in front of him.

"We have to go now, Nate," she said, resting a hand on his knee. He didn't respond to her. She stood up and gave him a loose hug. Again he didn't respond. She went out the door then. I stood there, watching him for a brief moment.

"Bye Grandpa," I murmured quietly. As I turned to leave, I heard a soft, "Bye Kelly". I choked slightly, like a person did when they were trying to stop themselves from crying. I didn't say anything else before half jogging down the hall. I needed to get out of there. It just felt like a bunch of people waiting for their deaths to come and I didn't want to be there anymore. It was making me cry over someone I didn't even know.

The doctor said a goodbye as I passed him on my way out but I didn't respond. I headed outside with my head ducked down.

"Kelly!"

Tara's voice caused me to look up. She stood in the parking lot, alone. I froze. Where was the car? Besides that, where was Mom?

"Where's Mom?" I asked, running to stand with her. Tara shook her head frantically.

"I don't know," she answered. "She wasn't here when I came out."

I cursed under my breath as Tara paced in our now empty parking space. It was slowly starting to drizzle and there was no one for us to go. I sat down on the curb, fidgeting as Tara continued to pace.

Long moments later, the sound of many motorbikes coming down the road came. I stood up and jogged to stand next to Tara. The Sons pulled up and there was a brief pause of realization before Jax started demanding to know where Mom went.

I didn't listen to their quick conversation. The only words I caught were Jax saying "she went to be with her family". My heart dropped to my stomach and it appeared the same happened to everyone present as the realization that she had gone to see Abel hit everyone.

Instinctively, I went to Juice as the guys started leaving and Tara got on the back of Jax's bike. Quickly, Juice gave me his helmet and I got on behind him before we took off.

The rain got a little harder as we approached Charming. Night had fallen and everything was dark. I couldn't focus on the current situation, knowing what was going to happen once Mom discovered Abel missing. Instead, I focused on the coolness of Juice's cut against my cheek as I also tried to keep myself from hyperventilating. The day was happening so fast.

Dad seemed to know exactly where he was going. His first stop was the clubhouse. As we drove up into the lot, the bikes' headlights illuminated the figure of my mother as she collapsed to the ground.

My mouth opened to scream but my throat was too dry and no words came out. The second Juice stopped his bike I was off it and running. Jax and Dad beat me there but I dropped onto my knees inbetween them. The rest of the guys came up behind us but I didn't pay any attention to them. The sight of my mother on the ground blocked anything else out.

* * *

**/END**


	15. Separation

**A/N:** Oh, hi there. How's it going? Did you all miss me? Haha, it's been a very long time since I updated anything on . I've mostly been planning on original stuff (I would love to write a novel one day) and work and life have been keeping me very busy. But then, season four rolled around and I was like, "no, gonna continue doing what I'm supposed to be doing". And then we gave Juice a real storyline. And boom, SOA on the brain, nearly twenty-four-seven. Which means, I must release myself through way to do that is reacquaint myself with Kelly. Yeah, yeah, I wanna write other SOA fanfiction aside from just this (I swear I'm gonna do something with Winnie again some day...), but this just being a bunch of one-shots smushed together makes it easy to return to. So, if you're coming back to this story after such a long hiatus, thanks for sticking around. This is for you, even if it's real short.

This takes place in the time between seasons three and four. You guys watch the Mexican Basketball appisode? Juice without his shirt on is delicious. That's all I gotta say.

**Disclaimer:** as always, I do not own SOA. I do own Kelly, though. The song is by 3 Doors Down.

* * *

**Sons of Anarchy**

**100 Theme Challenge**

**55. Separation**

_A hundred days have made me older  
Since the last time that I saw your pretty face  
A thousand lies have made me colder  
And I don't think I can look at this the same  
But all the miles that separate  
Disappear now when I'm dreaming of your face_

_I'm here without you baby_  
_But you're still on my lonely mind_  
_I think about you baby_  
_And I dream about you all the time_

_I'm here without you baby_  
_But you're still with me in my dreams_  
_And tonight it's only you and me, yeah_

"_Here Without You", 3 Doors Down_

Even in my sleep, I could still smell him. My dreams were vague, as far as I could remember. Blurry images of the clubhouse and the garage. The guys were always in the distance, laughing or shouting about something that I couldn't quite make out. I always looked for that one person though, his mohawk and darker toned skin making him stand out against the others. Like them, he was blurry, as if in a photographed someone had taken while moving. Each night, before I could run to them, the sirens would sound and the cars of the ATF would roll up and haul them away. I would attempt to scream and shout, but nothing came. I couldn't move. My dream always ended with them driving away and the scenery fading to black around me.

I jerked awake, the dream lingering in the back of my head. Running a finger over my forehead, I could tell I had been sweating. Kicking my warm sheets off, I went into the bathroom to rub cold water over my face.

It had been ten months. Ten months since I had seen some of the most important people in my life being hauled away. In those ten months, I had tried to keep myself as busy as possible. Mom had been extremely busy helping Tara with not only Abel but with newborn Thomas, so I had been defaulted to manager at the garage. That took up most of my time. The remainder of my time seemed to be spent with Lyla helping her plan the wedding. She had been adamant – not that Opie disagreed or anything – that they wouldn't wed until the boys were out. I had to agree. A Samcro wedding just wouldn't be right without...well, without Samcro.

I couldn't get back to sleep so I spent the remainder of the night watching infomercials before getting dressed and going to the garage. I was going through paperwork when Opie appeared in the doorway.

"Hey, squirt," he said in way of greeting. I glanced up at him for a brief second before returning to work.

"Hey, ugly," I replied. In true Opie fashion, he didn't make a comeback. He merely snorted and came into the office, sitting in the chair across from me.

"I was thinking…" he began. It was clear he was trying to get something out of me. If I didn't know him so well, I would have expected him to start stroking that damn beard of his in a thoughtful manner.

"Thinking of getting a penguin suit for the wedding?" I answered brightly. He made a face. The thing that lightened my mood that most these days was trying to convince Opie to wear a tux. It was a failing battle.

"No." There was finality in his voice but I knew I wouldn't be able to resist bringing it up again later. "Chibs and I were talking. We went in and saw Bobby yesterday."

"How's the old fat bastard?" I missed Bobby. The place had no voice of reason these days. That might explain why Chibs had tried teaching the prospects how to build a car bomb.

"He's doing well enough. The guys seem to have a good system keeping them going."

I didn't reply to that. I had heard what had happened to Jax in there. If that was their good system, I didn't want to know what a bad one was.

"Juice misses you."

That made me stop writing. A sting hit my heart. In the past ten months, I had only gone in to see him twice. Well, first off, they weren't allowed that many visits that I could just come and go as I pleased. Second off, it hurt to see him in there. Each time they brought him to the table across from me, my heart broke just a little more. He didn't belong in there, wearing that blue jumper like all those other in-mates. Not my sweet, romantic, idiotic Juice.

"I know you don't want to, Kel," Opie said, sensing my thoughts. I looked up at him, setting my pen down. "But, believe me. He needs to know you still care. I was locked away for five years. I can't describe how much I wanted to see my kids. See Donna." His voice cracked the slightest at Donna's name, making me feel sympathy for him.

"I get it," I said, not wanting him to continue down his train of thought, for his sake. I stood up and walked around the desk before hugging Opie's head. "I'll go."

"Good. Poor boy's probably having a heart attack that you're boning with one of the prospects or something."

The new voice came from the doorway. I turned to glare at Kozik.

"I liked you better when you lived in Tacoma," I retorted before flipping my hair and strolling past him. "Besides," I called over my shoulder, "the prospects just aren't as pretty as Juice."

* * *

Sitting at that table made me nervous. It was odd; I knew that the Sons weren't exactly the…best intentioned people. But, they never made me feel scared. Not like the other felons that were in the room right now, talking to their own loved ones. Or lawyers. Or gang members. Whatever.

The door in the back of the room squeaked loudly open and a uniformed guard came through, tugging someone along with him. I must have visibly perked up at the sight of Juice coming through that door. His eyes landed on me and I could see his lips tug up in a smile. The guard escorted him right to the table and waited until he sat down across from me before going back to stand against the far wall.

For what felt like the longest time, we sat there and stared at each other. He definitely looked different than the last time I had saw him. His hair was going back in, thicker than I could ever recall seeing it. It looked strange on him; I had gotten so used to that mohawk of his. There was something else about him; he seemed a little worn out and tired, but I guess prison life would do that to a person.

"You cut your hair," he said suddenly, reaching across the table to pick at a strand of my hair. The last time he had seen me, it had been shoulder length. Now, it was cut chin length; I hated having my hair long and it was starting to aggravate me.

"I see you didn't," I replied with a smile. His face broke out in that goofy grin that I had grown so accustomed to.

"I only trust Floyd with my hair, you know," he said, running a hand over it. There was a moment of silence before he spoke again. "How are you?"

"Okay, I guess," I answered with a shrug. My gaze went down to the table as I rubbed my finger over a smudge, trying to scruff it out to no avail. "Mom's letting me manage the garage for a while since she's busy and all. I'm helping Lyla with the wedding."

"Yeah, Op told us she made the foolish mistake of letting you help pick the music." I smiled at that comment.

"Oh yes. Yes, she did." He chuckled.

"Abel and Thomas doing okay?"

"Yeah. Sometimes, Tara has Abel sleep over with me. He's kind of like my new teddy bear."

Again, silence. I was still staring at the table though I could feel his gaze on me.

"So…how are the prospects?"

The nonchalant statement made me look up with wide eyes. I couldn't tell if he was serious or joking.

"…Prospects?"

"Yeah. You guys all…getting along?"

I cursed under my breath. "Have you been talking to Kozik?"

"Maybe a little. He and Chibs came by a couple days ago. Told me how you were…making friends."

"Stupid fucking Sons." I was cursing the two under my breath until I noticed the grin he was sporting. "Goddamnit Juice."

"A guy needs to know if he could still piss his lady off," Juice said with a shrug and a smile. "I'm just keeping the romance alive."

"The romance hasn't died, Juice," I answered, feeling more serious than I had in weeks. His eyes softened a little.

"That's good to hear." He didn't need to say a word; I could see the relief in his eyes. I reached across the table, taking one of his hands into both my smaller ones. I ran my fingers over it gently, feeling the rough skin. It dawned on me then that I had longed for his touch for a while and immediately regretted not coming to visit more often.

"Are you doing okay?" I asked, eyes going back to his. There was slight confusion at my question. "Nobody's hurt you, have they? I mean, I heard what happened to Jax and, god, Juice, if anyone did that to you…" Realization dawned on him. He took both my hands into his, squeezing them tightly.

"Babe, no, I'm fine," he reassured. "Honestly, I spend an abnormal amount of time with Happy. And no one's too willing to mess with him."

I could have kissed Happy, just hearing that statement. Then, I remembered if anyone in the world freaked me out, it was probably him.

"Good," I murmured, mostly to myself. I licked my lips, letting my thoughts organize themselves in my mind. "I'm sorry."

Juice looked stunned for a moment. "Sorry for what?"

"For being a shitty ass old lady." Before he could speak, I continued. "I should have come by as often as they would let me in. I just…"

"I know, Kel." He lifted my hands up and kissed them gently. I could feel the newly grown facial hair that I hadn't noticed earlier scraped against my skin. "Don't beat yourself up over it. It makes my life harder in here knowing you're suffering out there."

"I just…can't wait for you to get out of here. I really miss you."

"I miss you too, baby."

There was more silence, much more comfortable this time around. It had felt like forever since I had been able to just sit and stare into those beautiful eyes of his.

Our quiet was broken by his guard escort's rumbling voice.

"Ortiz, time's up."

Juice scowled. I rested a hand against his cheek, rubbing my thumb gently against his warm skin.

"It's okay, Juicy," I murmured quietly. "You'll be out here soon enough. Then, we can spend as much time together as we want." Juice nodded, taking my outstretched hand back up and kissing it again.

"Don't take so long to see me next time," he stated. I nodded. I wasn't going to let so much time go by again without seeing him.

"Ortiz," the warning tone from the guard came again.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Juice answered impatiently. I curled my fingers around his prison shirt, not liking the feeling of the rough material. I tugged him toward me; he came willing forward. There was slight hesitation to the motion I hadn't done in a long time. Juice seemed to sense where it was going and pressed his lips gently to mine.

It felt right, as if we were frozen in that moment. I wanted him out of here so I could feel him against me every day for the rest of my life.

We parted all too soon. He stood up from the table, forcing me to release his shirt.

"I love you, babe," he said quietly.

"I love you, too," I replied just before the guard came forward, taking him roughly by the arm and leading him away. I could feel him taking a piece of my heart back with him to the prison where, far behind those walls, the other members of Samcro waited.

"Miss Morrow?" the voice of the guard who had brought me in came from behind. I stood up without glancing at her. She led me out of the meeting room without a word.

I sat in the parking lot for a while, Filthy Phil seated on his bike in the lot next to me. Once I felt ready, I drove back to Charming. Without thinking, I went straight to my mother's house, letting myself in.

She was in the kitchen, reading a book as dinner cooked on the table. I settled on the chair across from her.

"How do you do it, Mom?" I asked. She looked up from her book, glancing over her glasses.

"Do what, baby?" she asked, sliding her bookmark in and pushing the paperback aside.

"Deal with them being locked away." She studied me for a minute before giving me a soft look.

"With a lot of love and patience," she answered. "And knowing that, once he's out, he's going to be sex-deprived and will want to ravage you for days."

"Love, patience and raging sex?"

She gave me that smile, that all-knowing smile she loved to wear. "That's right."

"I think I can handle that."

Mom reached across the table and patted my hands. "You're going to have to, baby."

* * *

**CHAPTER END**


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